Point of View

Our Story

As told by Martha "Marty" Gray ’69, M.S.’82 and Guy Gray ’74, M.S.’82.

As we reflect on our Hood reunions (50th for Marty and 45th for Guy—and our 48th wedding anniversary), we are extremely grateful for the profound, positive effect Hood has had on our lives. Our three main goals in life have been family, friends and community. Hood has been part of all three.

Marty: When I was a senior majoring in math and taking computer classes that were available, Hood took students to attend seminars at the National Bureau of Standards, now the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The federal government was recruiting math and computer people, so those contacts led to a 36-year career as a computer scientist at NIST. It also allowed me to hire two student interns from Hood to work at NIST.

Guy: I dropped out of high school and joined the Navy. I was injured in a fire aboard the USS Oriskany in the Tonkin Gulf, Vietnam. We met through mutual friends in New Jersey during Marty’s senior year at Hood. After we got married, I moved to Maryland and went to Montgomery College since the University of Maryland wouldn’t count me as a state resident.

Marty: Even though a woman marrying a Maryland resident was granted residency, it didn’t work for a man marrying a woman.

Guy: I told them I could get a better education at Hood College and enrolled there as a day student. I eventually became the president of the Day Student’s Association and received the first male Hood ring. As a disabled Vietnam veteran, I firmly believe that Hood’s caring and accessible professors, the honor system, and the integrity of the student body provided the environment that allowed me to succeed. My bachelor’s degree led me to a career in the intelligence community in the federal government.

Marty: We both felt our careers needed advanced graduate degrees, so we attended Hood together to get our master’s degrees.

Guy: We continued working full-time, and our son was just 9 months old when we started.

Marty: I even had our daughter during semester break.

Guy: We both received our master’s degrees in management and administration in 1982.

Marty: Perhaps more important than the degrees we earned are the lifelong friends we made at Hood. Before graduating, six of my friends* and I agreed to start a chain letter. Write a letter, send pictures, etc. and send it on to the next person.

Each one takes out their old letter and puts in a new letter. We continue to this day, although two of our friends have died. Before the internet, this allowed keeping up to date with each other. Since three lived on the West Coast and three on the East with one in the middle, we decided to hold mini-reunions approximately every five years.

Guy: We have met at Bar Harbor, Maine; Whidbey Island, Washington; Edisto Island, South Carolina; Bend, Oregon; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Cambridge and Ocean City, Maryland; and Pagossa Springs, Colorado.

Marty: Spouses and children, when they were young, always came to the reunions so we all know each other’s children and now grandchildren. We have celebrated at weddings and mourned at funerals. There is just nothing like “old” friends.

Guy: Hood connections became part of life.

Marty: We truly believe that Hood provided us with a liberal arts education that developed us into well-rounded adults with interests not only in our major but interests that led to hobbies, community involvement and love of learning that lasts for a lifetime.

Guy: The values developed by the honor system and the caring environment of Hood also last a lifetime.

* Linda Walls Bradley ’70, Nancy Roe Hebdon ’69, Nancy vom Eigen Rasmussen ’69, Sandra Jung Vrem ’69 and deceased Christine Herbst Cole ’69 and Linda Stockdale Warren ’69