Our Founder
John Francis Regis Gray (1931-2014), better known as "Jack", was the beloved founder and namesake of J.F. Gray & Associates. He worked in the power industry for over forty years, including fifteen years as company President. His corporate vision and value set continue to guide J.F. Gray's business to this day.
Born in 1931, Jack grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts as the youngest of six children in a second generation Irish-American family. He graduated from Boston Latin School in 1949, served four years in the U.S. Air Force, and earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University in 1958, attending on the GI Bill like many men of his day.
Jack began his professional career as an engineer at Stone & Webster and, after establishing a technical understanding of the utility business, transitioned into a sales engineer role with Copperweld Wire in 1963. Four years later, he became Head of Northeast Operations for M.J. Fein & Company, for whom he worked as a manufacturer's representative for the next sixteen years.
In 1983, Jack acquired the M.J. Fein & Company's Northeast division, changing the name to J.F. Gray & Associates and striking out on his own. He hired his son, Bob, as an associate in 1985 and, after more than a decade of successful business, sold him the agency in 1998. Jack then remained on as an advisor for several more years.
A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Jack enjoyed playing an active role in his loved ones' lives. He was a founding member of the Holliston, MA Youth Hockey Organization (HYHO) and prided himself on "always being there" for his kids as a coach and mentor. When he did spend time by himself, he was an avid golfer, Boston sports fan, and crime novel reader. Jack passed away in 2014 at the age of 83, leaving behind his wife, Carolyn, five children, and twelve grandchildren.