MORRIS GRAY DIES AFTER A PROTRACTED ILLNESS

Yesterday Morris Gray '77 one of Harvard University's most generous benefactors, died at his Boston home, following a protracted illness. Mr. Gray, who was born in Boston on March 7, 1856, prepared for Harvard at the Hopkinson School, entering the University at the age of 17. During his four years as a member of the College he was prominent in undergraduate activities. He studied at the Harvard Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1880.

During his many years as a lawyer Mr. Gray became more and more interested in art collecting, and finally became president of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in 1914, not resigning that position until 1924, during which period the museum showed a marked gain in funds and in acquisitions.

Harvard University is particularly indebted to Mr. Gray for his two gifts to the Widener Memorial Library, which were made known in February, 1929. Of these, the first consisted of a donation amounting to $30,000 to be used in the purchase of current modern poetry of American authorship, together with the outfitting of a small room in the main building for the exhibition and study of the same. The second gift consisted of a substantial sum of money the annual interest from which was to be used to cover the honoraria for lecturers who were to be invited to give talks several times a year on the general subject of American poetry.

Part of the money involved in the second gift was used to form a nucleus for the future poetry library. The lecturers were to be chosen by a committee headed by G. P. Winship '93, emphasis being laid on the fact that they were to be entirely independent of the Harvard faculty.