Mayor Jim Gray: Saluting Mom and Dad

Lois Gray

My mother, Lois Howard was a lieutenant jg in the Navy. She was stationed in Washington in the Office of Naval Intelligence.

One of my mother’s favorite stories was of walking back from night duty almost at sunrise in Washington, where she sometimes ran into President Harry Truman, who was out on his morning walk. Mother reported that Truman would greet her with a salute, saying, “Good morning, Lieutenant!” This was before the assassination attempt on Truman’s life, when he was accompanied by only one or two bodyguards.

My father, James Norris Gray (1917-1972) was a chief petty officer, and spent his tour of duty in the Pacific on a PT boat, and in China.

Editor’s Note:  The author, Jim Gray, is the Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky.