Charles A. Gray passed away unexpectedly of a sudden cardiac event on Saturday, July 23, while hiking with his wife, Rachel, and good friends. A Westinghouse scholar in high school, Charlie graduated from Cornell University in 1961 with a BChE and received a PhD in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1965. While at MIT, he independently wrote Explorations in Chemistry, a book of science experiments for young people.

From MIT he joined FMC in Princeton and worked primarily in research and development, mostly with a process orientation but with periods in operations, new product development and strategic planning. For his last five years at FMC he was Chief Technologist for the Chemical Products Group.

In 1990, he moved to Cabot Corporation in Boston as Vice President of Technology. He played a number of key roles in expanding and modernizing Cabot's approach to technology. During this time Cabot reestablished its focus on fundamental understanding of its specialty chemical manufacturing technology, resulting in new product families, new business areas, and more efficient production processes. He also contributed to assuring the health and environmental safety of Cabot's products and processes. Many of Cabot's products are nanoparticles, but they go back well before "nano" was fashionable and he enjoyed referring to his work as converting soot and sand into nanoparticles.

After his retirement in 2008, he was a member of the Old Guard of Princeton and served on the board of the Princeton Adult School. He served from 1998 to 2004 on Cornell University's Advisory Council for Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Charlie was a voracious reader and enjoyed gardening, kayaking, hiking, traveling, and teaching science to children (in particular his grandchildren).

Son of Joseph A. and Miriam C. Gray and raised as a child by Dr. Clagett and Helen Gray, he is survived by his wife of 46 years, Rachel Davis Gray; Elizabeth, Jonathan, Alexandra, William and Edward Erickson; Douglas Gray, Rebecca Johnson, Nathaniel and Ella Gray; and James, Jessica, Sadie and William Gray. His intellect, selflessness, and unsurpassed kindness will be greatly missed by his family and friends alike.

A service in remembrance will be held at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey on Thursday, July 28, at 11:00 a.m.

Contributions in memory of Charles A. Gray will support Cornell's Industrial Practitioner Program in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and may be sent to Cornell University, 259 Carpenter Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853.