Poly Giving Day 2022

Join friends of Alex Gray '97 in creating an endowment in his memory. The fund will support innovation of existing platforms like the Paw Print and also be a place where students can explore areas of interest through hands-on, interdisciplinary approaches. The Alex Gray Memorial Fund will support Poly students in research and execution of projects related to journalism, design, and technology. Gifts will be matched up to $20,000 — gifts of all sizes make a big difference. 

Alex Gray joined Poly as a high school freshman in 1993. His classmates didn’t immediately know what to make of him. He was eccentric, loud, and had oddball interests. He particularly loved computers and cars. His love for computers will sound commonplace to today’s students but, in 1993, personal computers were relatively new. Many families had no computers. Some had one that sat on a desk acting more as an intimidating ornament than a useful device. Very few families had a rare Macintosh computer. Alex had several. He also had printers, one of the first ever modems, and a subscription to several Mac magazines. Alex’s hobbies intrigued many of us and his outrageous humor and wit established Alex as one of the most beloved figures in the 1997 class.

As the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Paw Print, Alex found perhaps the first “official” application of his obsession with computing. Alex had already been using advanced desktop publishing software for his own personal memos and his fictitious company “Duralex.” At the Paw Print, he could use Adobe PageMaker and QuarkXPress FOR REAL. He could also tend to the impossibly fussy printer network which, for its time, was pretty advanced.

Alex also loved the storytelling aspect of the Paw Print. Alex delighted in seeing students’ photos and stories in print. He even had his own column, “Cars, Dude,” which reported on cars in the student parking lot and the goings-on of the auto industry.

Throughout Alex’s life, his Poly family meant a lot to him and his days at the Paw Print propelled a lifelong love for technology and media of all kinds.  The Alex Gray Memorial Fund will serve as a way to honor his unique kind of creativity and ingenuity and will offer Poly students resources for their own exploration.  

#PolyGivingDay is a 24-hour celebration of Poly and the power of giving back. Join us for this special opportunity to come together in support of every person, program, activity, and space that form the Poly experience. Your support makes an immediate impact on timeless Poly values of academic excellence, personal and communal responsibility, and service to others embodying the theme of Giving Day 2022: #PolyMade.