Sadly I report the passing of Walter P. Gray III, former Director of the California State Railroad Museum. Walt passed away at 12:45a.m. this date, surrounded by family and friends, having struggled valiantly against an aggressive form of cancer for the last year. Services are yet to be announced but likely will include a memorial later this month at CSRM.

Condolences may be sent to Walt's wife, Mary Helmich, 3418 L Street, Sacramento, CA 95816.

We have lost a valued contributor to this community.

Peter Barton
Administrator, Division of Musuems & History
State of Nevada

Not to mention an icon and hero to many of us of a younger generation who went into the museum field as a profession because of him. Gray (along with Mr. Barton, Mr. Withun, and several others) was one who took rail preservation and the interpretation of rail history out of a "hobby" status in the museum field into the realm of an honored profession and a status as "serious" history, thereby proving to many of us that we could make a living doing something we loved.

I wish I had met him --- I'm very sorry I never had the chance. He most definitely will be missed.

TJ Gaffney

Oh my, the big mega CSRM "Railfairs" will NEVER be the same without Walter directing the pagentry.
It was so magical seeing Walter Gray and Cathy Taylor direct the pagentry at Railfair 1999.
I am so very sorry to hear this news.
My best wishes to his friends and family.
First "UP Joe" Passentino goes and now this.
We all need to apprecite every special moment because you never know when anyone will be gone.
--- Daniel

Walter will be missed.

He was one of that rare breed that could talk with equal literacy to (and with the respect of) both the academic preservation community, our California State legislators and staff, State Park Staff, and the common railfan.

He was funny, irreverent, and serious, simultaneously.

I have seen him talk for an hour on issues of archival data migration, with the audience laughing and following every word.

I was part of a dispute between two non-profit boards… he mediated and made a bad situation at least positive, if not good.

Even after he left the California State Railroad Museum (to be the State Archivist) no one could envision a Railfair without him. At the 1999 Railfair he was seen (as was Cathy Taylor, his replacement) wearing the id badge of our horse, Jiggs, there to pull the San Jose streetcar.

He was one of the few people I would trust without question. I probably owe my current job in part to his recommendation.

Yes, Walter was one of the good guys. We all need to appreciate each other more - our time here is short. Enjoy the moment.

"It's all good."

Jim

Walter will be greatly missed, and my prayers go to his family and friends.

He was a very kind man -- which leads me to a story about his ability to include those who, like me and my son, were definitely not "movers and shakers".

After the small Railfair in June of 1994 had ended, where the SP 2472 had made one of her appearances, he invited thoss who still were at the Railfair site to accompany him to dinner -- and he even included me and my son (Daniel3197)! All the other GGRM folks had departed, or they would have been invited, too. I was still dressed in my overalls and wanted to change my clothes for something more suitable to going out to dinner with the various folks -- including CSRM staff -- but Walt said not to bother, that it was perfectly OK with him that I went as I was.

What a nice guy!

We boarded the historic UP bus, the one that used to take people from LAUPT to various places in the "good old days", and off we went -- to dinner on an anchored ship somewhere outside the Sacramento metro area.

We all had a wonderful time, one I will never forget. It is lovely to be accepted for yourself -- which is what Walt (and the others) did on that wonderful evening.

Walt -- you are sorely missed. You left big shoes to fill. You are cleared for Maximum Authorized Speed -- green blocks all the way to that heavenly roundhouse.

Margaret (SP fan)

Walter was a modern day Bob Richardson, not only having done so much for CSRM, but also having been the driving force behind the state saving the Sierra facilities at Jamestown. It is ironic and sad that they both died the same year.... He certainly was a great communicator, one of the few persons who could bridge the chasm between rail enthusiasm and the outside world. Besides that, he was one of the major players in the group that saved the little Rock Island 0-4-0T that may (or may not) be the one my great grandfather ran in Kansas at the turn of the century.

By the way, for those who did not know him, here are two photos of the now late Walter Gray that are posted to the excellent Trainweb website.
I found these by searching Google Images for "Walter Gray csrm"
The first photo is a very good picture of him:

http://www.trainweb.com/mvc/year2001/10 ... c-907e.jpg

http://www.trainweb.com/mvc/year2001/10 ... c-902f.jpg

http://www.trainweb.com/mvc/year2002/10 ... c-354e.jpg

Those photos from this travelogue/ story on Trainweb by Ray Burns:
http://www.trainweb.com/travelogues/ray ... 1j06a.html

--- Daniel

Here is the obituary for Walter Gray that is published in the Sacramento Bee today 5-11-07 friday. You may need to register for a free account at the on-line Sacbee website if you do not have the handy "bugmenot" extension installed on a Firefox web browser.
This is truly a giant and huge loss for the rail preservation and history communities. You will be greatly missed Walter.
--- Daniel
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Here is the obit of such a fine gentleman:
:
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/175782.html


Obituary: Train buff kept museum on rails
By Robert D. Dávila - Bee Staff Writer

Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, May 11, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B4

Print | E-Mail | Comments (3)

Walter P. Gray III

Born: Aug. 8, 1952

Died: May 8, 2007

Remembered for: Railroad historian, preservationist and former director of the California State Railroad Museum; chief of archaeology, history and museums for California State Parks and former state archivist

Survived by: Wife, Mary Helmich of Sacramento; brothers, Chris Gray of Sacramento and Bruce Gray of eastern Oregon; and sister, Andrea Gray-Botkin of Sacramento

Memorial service: Celebration of life, 6 to 9 p.m. June 2 at the California State Railroad Museum, 111 I St., Sacramento

Remembrances: In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Mr. Gray may be made to the California State Railroad Museum Foundation and the California State Parks Foundation.
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Walter P. Gray III, a historian, preservationist and unabashed train buff who helped establish the California State Railroad Museum as a world-class celebration of the locomotive and its influence on the Golden State, died Tuesday. He was 54.

He died after a yearlong battle with liver cancer, said his wife, Mary Helmich.

Mr. Gray was an international expert on railroad history and museum operations who spent more than two decades at the California State Railroad Museum. He served as archivist, launched the Sacramento Southern Railroad excursion line and brought the national Railfair exhibition to Old Sacramento before becoming director in 1990. He emphasized interpretive displays about people who built, owned and traveled on trains to illustrate the railroad's importance in shaping California and linking it to the rest of the country.

"He really elevated it to a first-class museum," said Bill Withuhn, curator of technology and transportation at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. "He had a very educated and sophisticated approach to anything he touched."

In 1998, Mr. Gray was appointed California state archivist. He oversaw the opening of the former Golden State Museum and led efforts to catalog and make historical records available through the Internet, officials said. In 2004, he joined California State Parks as chief of archaeology, history and museums with a plan to make cultural artifacts more accessible to the public and safer from damage in flooding or other natural disasters, director Ruth Coleman said.

"Walt never had a bad day," said former Secretary of State Bill Jones, who appointed him to head the state archives. "He was always looking for professional ways to solve problems. He's an amazing individual, and California will miss him."

Mr. Gray had a lifelong fascination with trains, family and friends said. He was born in 1952 in San Francisco to an Air Force pilot and homemaker and grew up in Falmouth, Mass. He often rode a four-wheel track maintenance vehicle called a "speeder" on a branch line to Cape Cod, friend Kevin Bunker said.

His family lived briefly in Southern California before moving to Sacramento by 1970, his wife said. He briefly attended Sacramento City College before leaving to work as a firefighter on a tourist rail line near Santa Cruz. He earned a bachelor's degree in history from California State University, Sacramento, and joined the California State Railroad Museum in 1977. He also graduated from a museum management program at the University of Virginia in 1993.

He was a former president of the Sacramento Model Railroad Club and the Sacramento County Historical Society. He wrote many publications and appeared in TV and video productions about railroad history. He also traveled widely to give lectures on trains and museums to professional, academic and preservation groups.

Mr. Gray was a warm, witty and soft-spoken man who gladly shared his enthusiasm for railroads and history, family and friends said. Colleagues recalled an upbeat, optimistic leader who went out of his way to support and mentor employees.

He enjoyed working on antique cars and restoring a 1912 Craftsman bungalow he shared with his wife, whom he married in 1980. He also enjoyed cooking, photography and traveling across the United States and in foreign countries -- especially by train.

"A lot of people hear a lonesome train whistle, and they feel sad," Mary Helmich said. "But not Walter. He loved it."