Invited to serve as both minister for West Bay and headmaster of the newly established Cayman High School, Rev. John Rae Gray arrived at a time when secondary education in the Islands was still in its infancy and resources were extremely limited.
Born in Bellshill, Scotland, in 1910, Gray first trained as a mining engineer, graduating from Glasgow University in 1931 before working in the coalfields of Lanarkshire. He later felt called to the church, trained at Trinity College in Glasgow and was ordained as a minister of the Church of Scotland in 1937.
His ministry eventually took him overseas, including service in Africa and Jamaica. In November 1948, Rev. George Hicks invited Gray to visit Cayman, where church leaders were seeking someone to lead the developing high school while also serving as minister for West Bay. Gray accepted both responsibilities and arrived in Cayman with his wife Mary and their children in April 1949.
Building a school in post-war Cayman required ingenuity as much as determination. The first classrooms occupied former U.S. military buildings left behind after the Second World War. A Navy officers’ mess became the Preparatory School, part of an old bar served as a teacher’s desk, a radio shack was converted into classrooms, and a former dispensary became the school’s first science laboratory. A U.S. Navy bell called students to class, while the island’s very first school bus transported children from West Bay after local parents came together to purchase it.
Those early years required Gray to take on whatever role was needed. He sometimes drove children to school himself, using Captain Benson’s truck and Rupert Moxam’s pick-up before the school obtained more permanent transport. His willingness to step in wherever necessary became characteristic of his approach to both education and community service.
Gray was remembered by former students as a firm but fair headmaster who was always willing to offer advice and guidance. In 1960, the school came under government control and became known as the Cayman Grammar School. Gray continued as headmaster through the changes in Cayman’s secondary education system until retiring from government service in 1974, completing some 25 years of leadership in education.
For John Gray, education extended far beyond the classroom. He continued his ministry throughout the Islands and served as a Sea Scout leader in West Bay and George Town. He was deeply involved with the Cayman Islands Red Cross, serving as chairman for many years and later becoming a Life Member of the British Red Cross. He was also one of the founding members of Rotary in Cayman.
Gray embraced the cultural and sporting life of the community as well. He played football, acted in school productions, wrote and directed plays and pantomimes, and encouraged students to participate fully in school and community life.
His contribution was recognised in 1956 when he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his service to the community. He remained closely connected to Caymanian life long after his retirement and died in January 1992.
Later that year, the Cayman Islands High School was renamed John Gray High School, ensuring that his contribution to the development of secondary education would continue to be remembered.
Today, John Gray High School carries the name of a man who gave more than two decades to educating and mentoring young Caymanians. From makeshift classrooms and improvised school transport to a growing national education system, Rev. John Rae Gray helped guide Cayman’s secondary education through some of its most formative years, leaving a legacy that extends far beyond the school that bears his name.
Did You Know?
- Rev. John Rae Gray originally trained as a mining engineer before becoming a minister and educator
- He arrived in the Cayman Islands in 1949 to serve as both minister for West Bay and headmaster of the newly established Cayman High School
- The first classrooms used former U.S. military buildings left behind after the Second World War
- A U.S. Navy bell was used to call students to class