DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Jessy Franklin Gray of Live Oak County. Now, some men just seem to collect callings the way other folks collect trouble. Jessy Franklin Gray was born in Wilson County on December 5, 1895 — and by the time his story was done, he'd been an educator, a soldier, a politician, and a businessman.
That's a full hand any way you deal it. He passed the state teachers exam at seventeen. Seventeen.
Most of us at seventeen are still figuring out which end of a pencil does the writing. Gray, though, went on to teach in Oakville and climb all the way up to school superintendent. But when the United States entered World War I, he resigned.
Just like that. Put down the chalk and picked up something heavier. He attended army officers training camp at Leon Springs Military Reservation in San Antonio.
And then came August 15, 1917 — a day that packed about as much life as a single day can hold. That morning, or sometime in those hours, Jessy Franklin Gray was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army. And that same day — that very same day — he married Pauline Campbell.
Whatever you think about timing, you have to admit the man was efficient. He was assigned to Company D, 360th Infantry Regiment, 90th Division, and trained as a Gas Defense Officer. Which, as it turns out, was a specialty he'd need in the worst possible way.
Gray crossed to France and fought in the American Expeditionary Force under General John J. Pershing, pushing German combatants out of the Saint-Mihiel salient. And then — the thing he'd trained to defend against caught him anyway.
He was gassed, with wounds to his chest and his legs, and he fell among the seven thousand U.S. casualties of that campaign. Seven thousand. Let that number sit a moment.
But Jessy Franklin Gray came back. He returned for the Meuse-Argonne offensive. And on the night of November 2, 1918, something happened that separates certain men from the rest of the field.
All the officers of Company A were killed. Every one of them. The company was pinned down, leaderless, in the dark.
And Gray — wounded, gassed, not even assigned to that company — voluntarily took command. He rallied those men. For that, he received a Citation Star, which was later recognized as the Silver Star in 1932.
He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant. He was awarded the Purple Heart. And on June 6, 1919, Jessy Franklin Gray was honorably discharged.
In 1950, the Saint-Mihiel town council sent him a commemorative medal. The French remembered what happened in that salient. So did he.
Back home, Gray wasn't finished serving. He came to the Texas House of Representatives in 1945 and served through 1953. He advocated for the historic Gilmer Aikin Education Reform Act — the school superintendent who'd once put down his career for a war now back fighting for Texas classrooms.
He served on the Water Resources Board, and in that role he helped save the town of Three Rivers from reservoir submersion. The town where he and Pauline would one day be buried. When Jessy Franklin Gray died in 1968, the Texas House of Representatives recognized him for complete loyalty and untiring devotion to duty.
That's the legislature's language, formal and measured. But behind those words is a man who passed a teachers exam at seventeen, got married and commissioned on the same August morning, survived gas and wounds in France, voluntarily led strangers through a November night when everyone else in command was gone, and then came home and spent decades more in service to the state that raised him. He and Pauline Gray rest now in the Three Rivers Cemetery.
The marker stands. The story's earned.
What the marker says
(1895-1968) Educator, soldier, politician, and businessman, Jessy Franklin Gray was born in Wilson County on December 5, 1895. Passing the state teachers exam at 17, he taught in Oakville and became school superintendent. Resigning when the United States entered World War I, Gray attended army officers training camp at Leon Springs Military Reservation in San Antonio. He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant on August 15, 1917. That same day, he married Pauline Campbell (1896-1985). Assigned to Company D, 360th Infantry Regiment, 90th Division, Gray trained as a Gas Defense Officer. In France, he fought in the American Expeditionary Force under General John J. Pershing, pushing German combatants from the Saint-Mihiel salient. Gassed with wounds to his chest and legs, Gray was among the 7,000 U.S. casualties. However, he returned for the Meuse-Argonne offensive. On the night of November 2, 1918, all officers were killed, leaving Company A pinned down without leadership when Gray voluntarily took command, rallying the men. He received a Citation Star (Silver Star, 1932) and a promotion to 1st Lieutenant. Awarded the Purple Heart, Gray was honorably discharged on June 6, 1919, and in 1950 he received a commemorative medal from the Saint-Mihiel town council. Gray served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1945 to 1953. He advocated for the historic Gilmer Aikin Education Reform Act and served on the Water Resources Board, saving Three Rivers from reservoir submersion. The Texas House of Representatives recognized Jessy Franklin Gray at his death in 1968 for complete loyalty and untiring devotion to duty. Jessy and Pauline Gray are buried in the Three Rivers Cemetery. (2018)