Last December, the CATE Board voted unanimously to name the pre-conference in memory of James Gray. It is a fitting tribute to a man who laid the foundation for writing projects across the state and across the nation. It is a fitting tribute for a man whose work will continue to influence thousands of teachers and their students. The National Writing Project’s amazing contact statistics released at the annual meeting in Pittsburg last November are concrete illustrations of the extent of Jim’s legacy.

This is not the first time that CATE has honored James Gray. A few years ago, CATE recognized him with a Career Achievement Award for the depth and breadth of accomplishments demonstrated throughout his professional life. Jim was a worthy recipient of the award because of his steadfast belief that teachers teaching teachers works which parallels one of the major tenets of CATE. The writing project summer institute is based on a “teachers at the center” model, and CATE’s 47th annual convention and the CWP sponsored pre-convention February 2-5 were a wonderful example of the excellent, extraordinary, and engaging synergy that is a result of teachers working with other teachers. JoAnne Mitchell, Teisha Hase, the convention committee, and the CATE board are to be commended for their voluntary efforts to make the convention a success for all attendees.

In early November Jayne Marlink, CWP Director, had the hard task of communicating the sad news about Jim across the state. The following excerpt embodies a sense of Jim’s commitment to his peers and to the profession. “Some of us know that Jim often said he lived his life in "constant outrage." What led Jim to say that was his steadfast, unwavering belief in teachers, their knowledge and expertise, their potential to make an academic difference for all students, their professional power to make lasting change in the schools with greatest needs. In fact, he often said that any educational reform movement that doesn't have dedicated teachers at the core of the effort is doomed from the start.” Jim Gray is certainly a model of someone who had the courage to speak out, and influenced three generations of teachers because of it. Those three generations are committed now, more than ever, to carrying on Jim’s work.

Recently, I read Jim’s book Teachers at the Center: A Memoir of the Early Years of the National Writing Project with a different perspective. I had certainly read excerpts of the book before, and experienced the model and the results of the model firsthand since 1988. However, I am struck by the candid, authentic teacher voice which is so accessible to the reader. Throughout the memoir, he admits mistakes and even pokes fun at himself sometimes. He is gracious and genuine in sharing the dais with others who worked along side him, and humble and honest at the success of the model when he writes, “All of this evolved from the strength of a simple, powerful idea, which, like many groundbreaking ideas, wasn’t as obvious at the time of its origin as it is now in retrospect. I did not in the beginning truly understand the power of teachers teaching teachers. It took me decades of work as a high school teacher, as a trainer of student teachers, as a participant in numerous professional development programs to discover and embrace the revolutionary notion that classroom teachers are best qualified to teach other teachers.” (Gray, 139)

It is rare that one gets or takes a chance to tell someone how much you admire their work. I was given a chance at Asilomar one crisp, sunny afternoon when I saw Jim Gray slowly struggling towards the cabin door I was exiting. As I held the door open, I introduced myself, and silently vacillated between beginning a conversation or letting the moment go. What do you say to someone who has had such a positive influence on your teaching? What do you say to someone who has provided the opportunity for you to be a part of a community that has enriched you professionally and personally? I knew that this might be my only chance, and I battled the impulse to gush. I won’t share all of the details, but he was very gracious, and we talked a little about the magic of Asilomar and why he came back year after year. At the 2005 Scholastic banquet at NCTE, many people reminisced about James Gray. Mary Kay Healy shared that Jim loved to play Vivaldi at Asilomar. Asilomar was certainly a Vivaldi moment for me with the natural beauty enveloping us and the deer grazing nearby. I appreciate the moment he gave me; I appreciate the moments he gave to our profession. I’m playing “The Four Seasons” in my classroom quite a bit this year.