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scholastic record at Chapel Hill was such that he became President of
Phi Beta Kappa, with a record of thirty-five A's, one B, and three C's.
This in itself would perhaps neither qualify him for the presidency, nor
be highly persuasive, had he not retained an innate sympathy for the boy
or girl who has to struggle for mediocre grades. After leaving Chapel
Hill he went to Yale Law School, where he graduated with high honors,
and later practices law in New York City and in Winston-Salem. He
married a North Carolina girl, the former Miss Jane Craige, and he and
Mrs. Gray have four boys. He is a member of the Methodist Church,
and is publisher and owner of newspapers in Winson-Salem. Mr. Gray
served in the North Carolina Senate for three terms, and during the 1947
session held the chairmanship of the Senate Finance Committee, which
carried with it automatic membership on the Advisory Budget Council.

In 1942 Mr. Gray volunteered as a private in the United States Army,
saw active service in Europe, and when honorably discharged in 1945
held the rank of Captain in the Infantry. In 1947, President Truman
appointed him Assistant Secretary of the Army, and in 1949 promoted
him to the Secretaryship, the post he now holds.

While Mr. Gray is not an experienced professional educator, his record,
long before he was ever considered for the presidency of the University,
showed a keen and unselfish interest in educational fields. In addition to
serving on Boards of Trustees, he has contributed substantially toward
educational institutions from his private funds.

All of the above, however, fails to present the full picture of the nominee.
There is still another side. When a sub-committee from the Nominating
Committee visited Mr. Gray in Washington, we were impressed with his
statement that he proposed to devote the reminder of his life to public service.
It is fortunate that he is financially able to do so. He told us also that he
definitely felt the presidency of the University of North Carolina would
offer a congenial yet tremendous opportunity for constructive usefulness
to the people of his home state. And well he might feel this.

The new President of the University of North Carolina will have more
to do with fashioning the lives of young men and women during the next
generation, and perhaps indirectly in succeeding generations than any other
one man in the State. The position is second to none in importance. The
interdependence of the University of North Carolina and the State of North
Carolina is unique, and I doubt that our Committee in all its travels found
any example of a State university playing such an important part in the
welfare of its commonwealth as is the case with the University of North
Carolina and the State of North Carolina.

Mr. Gray has advised us that if the Trustees should see fit to name him,
he would be available for this position not later than the first day of September,
1950, and, if it is the desire of the Trustees, he might be able to report by
approximately May first.

After being authorized by the Executive Committee, I discussed the question
of salary with Mr. Gray. The present salary is $12,000 per year, with some
perquisites and emoluments. I think I can say that it was the Committee's
feeling - certainly it was mine - that the salary should be substantially increased
and placed upon a scale at least commensurate with that paid by other similarly
situated universities. While no specific increase was promised to Mr. Gray,
and none suggested by him, I think it is fairly well understood that a substantial
increase is in order, and I am confident that Mr. Gray will expect this. I
believe that with him it is not so much a question of his personal salary, as
a realization that the salaries of the President and the Chancellors are main-
tained upon a somewhat dependent and graduated basis, and the failure to in-
crease the salary of the President would result in retaining the salaries of the
Chancellors at a figure much lower than compatible with the best interests of