[1] Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1932, Gray graduated from MIT in 1954 with a SB in electrical engineering, and was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

He subsequently obtained an SM and ScD from MIT in 1955 and 1960, both in electrical engineering,[2] and served as an electronics instructor in the US Army from 1955 to 1957.

As an MIT professor, Gray specialized in researching and teaching semiconductor electronics and circuit theory.

He led the Task Force on Educational Opportunity (1968-1973), and encouraged undergraduate curriculum reforms in the 1980s that strengthened the humanities, social sciences, and biology.

[1] In 1982, Gray became an inaugural member of Ronald Reagan's White House Science Council, where he served for four years.