HERALD-CITIZEN, Cookeville, Tenn. — www.herald-citizen.com — Sunday, April 27, 2014 — 5
LIVING 50+
Even retired, Gray still busy ‘creating’ By LAuRA MILITANA HERALD-CITIZEN Staff
DEKALB COUNTY — Bill Gray has been fascinated by woodworking since high school. “I built a cedar chest in high school,” he said. “I spent most of the semester doing it.” To this day, he still has that very chest in his house. Now, he’s putting his talent to work, and even though he’s retired, he’s as busy as ever, as seen from his workshop in DeKalb County. “My primary focus is on charity work,” he said, with the two biggest groups being the Komen and animal groups he donates items to. In fact, he’s in demand. Bob Bell has teamed up with him to build a dog house for the “Not Your Ordinary Tour of Homes” event, set for June 28 from noon to 2 p.m. in the First Methodist Church parking lot. All dog houses will be displayed and sold by silent auction with 100 percent of the proceeds benefitting the Pet Therapy Fund at Cookeville Regional Medical Center. One of the dog homes will be auctioned to benefit the new P.E.T. Care campus, currently under construction.
Laura Militana | Herald-Citizen
Bob Bell, left, holding Button the therapy dog, is pictured with woodturner Bill Gray around the doghouse they created for the upcoming fundraiser for the Cookeville Regional Medical Center therapy dog program. “Randall Petrie is also going to come up and work on a dog house with me,” Gray said. Prior to retirement, Gray was in the computer business. But retirement has been just as busy. He’s a member of the Middle Tennessee Woodturners Club, which meets at Cookeville High School’s shop. Bell said he loves woodworking — and creating things for a great cause. “The Pet Therapy program is a great program and this is an excellent way to help that,” he said. MaryDell Sommers, whose dog Button is a therapy dog, came up with the idea for this
See BuSy, Page 14
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221 North Oak Avenue • Cookeville, TN 38501