William h gray iii biography examples

As a columnist for the Washington Post for close to four decades, William Raspberry’s columns have been highly valued for his insights on public policy concerns related to education, crime, justice, drug abuse, and housing. He earned the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Commentary in 1994. In 2004, he received the National Press Club’s highest honor, the Fourth Estate Award. He retired from the newspaper in 2005. Previously, Raspberry held the position of Knight Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy Studies at Duke University. He also devotes considerable time to his pilot program, Baby Steps, a parent training and empowerment program in his hometown of Okolona, Mississippi. In 1991, he published Looking Backward at Us, a collection of his some of his favorite columns.

Raspberry retired from both his position at Duke University and writing his Washington Post column in 2008. He passed away in July of 2012 at the age of 76.

William Gray III was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on August 8, 1941. He was an only child. His parents were both involved in education. His father was the president of Florida A&M University and Florida Memorial College and his mother was the dean of a black college. This strong educational background likely motivated him to pursue higher education, and he was an outstanding student during his academic career. Gray graduated from Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia in 1959. He received his undergraduate degree in history from Franklin Marshall College in 1963. He then continued his education by earning a master's degree in divinity from Drew Theological Seminary in 1966 and a master's degree in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1970.

Apparently destined for a career in the religious field, Gray replaced his father as the pastor of Bright Hope Baptist in Philadelphia in 1972. He found the work enjoyable, but desired a role where he could reach out to more people, particularly the African-American Community. It was this feeling that convinced him to run for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. He was elected to represent Pennsylvania's Second Congressional District in 1978 on the Democratic Party ticket.

During his career in Congress, G

•