Presented at the 2015 Commencement Ceremony at Franklin & Marshall College.

Professor Robert C. Gray is retiring after 43 years as an outstanding scholar, teacher and colleague at Franklin & Marshall College. His superior intellect, sage advice, and quick, dry wit—not to mention his always readily available Kissinger anecdotes—will be dearly missed by students, colleagues and alumni alike.

A specialist in national security policy and defense analysis, Professor Gray received both his B.A. and Ph.D. in government from the University of Texas at Austin. His trenchant analysis of the evolution of U.S. strategic nuclear policy, from SALT to the MX to ballistic missile defense, has been held in high esteem in both the academic and policy realms. While publishing widely, Professor Gray also served as a Council on Foreign Relations Fellow in the Office of Policy Plans and National Security Council Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) in 1979 – 80, a time when NATO was deciding how to respond to the deployment by the Soviet Union of SS-20 missiles. While at OSD, Professor Gray also provided analysis on the SALT II agreement and represented the Office of the Secretary in interagency meetings on strategic warning and attack assessment.

During the 1980s, Professor Gray was a consultant for the Congressional Research Service, evaluating possible Congressional action on strategic weapons and arms control issues, and in 1987, was a research associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. Professor Gray also served as the North American editor for the journal Defense & Security Analysis from 1990 – 2004. Most recently, he has been involved in a cooperative endeavor at the U.S. Army War College looking at the study and teaching of strategy.

Professor Gray brought his valuable policy experience and fascinating stories of real-world policymaking (and mishaps) into the classroom, making his National Security Policy class and Grand Strategy seminar must-take experiences for government majors. He also developed a hugely popular summer course in London on Contemporary British Politics. In recognition of his talent in the classroom and dedication to his students, Professor Gray received the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1983.

Professor Gray also has been a committed member of the College community in terms of governance and service. He both ably and admirably chaired the Government Department over three separate periods for a total of nine years. He also chaired the College Librarian Search Committee in 1997– 98, the Ad Hoc Committee on the Evaluation of Teaching in 1999 – 2000, Faculty Council in 2002 – 03, and the Provost Search Committee in 2005 – 06, in addition to serving on numerous other committees, most notably the College Studies Committee (1980 – 83) that implemented a new general education curriculum.

In retirement, Professor Gray is looking forward to researching the history of strategic studies while also enjoying the time to travel with his wife, Lisa, to their favorite haunts, both foreign and domestic: New York City, the Chesapeake Bay, Paris and London.

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Citations:

Richard Plepler '81: Doctor of Letters

Robert Kwesi Koomson '97: Doctor of Humane Letters

Sherry Turkle, Ph.D.: Doctor of Science

Lynn Matluck Brooks: Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching

Michael L. Anderson: Bradley R. Dewey Award for Outstanding Scholarship

Cecile Zorach: Socrates Citation

Lina Bernstein: Socrates Citation

Christine Alexander: Richard Kneedler Distinguished Service Award