Retirement Album for W. B. Gray, Western Electric Company

Baltimore, Maryland: Western Electric Company, 1952. William Breathitt Gray II was born on October 3, 1888 to William Breathitt Gray I (1847-1915) and Mary Jane Draper Gray (1956-1922) in Utica, MT. Originally, a rancher on his parents farm, he moved to Chicago in the early 1920s to start work at the Western Electric Company. He married Mabel Dell St. John Gray (1892-1965) on December 23, 1916. They would have two children together, William Breathitt Gray III (1917-?) and David Wallace Gray (1919-?). He moved to Florida with his wife after his retirement, and died on January 11, 1976. . William B. Gray was a Works Comptroller who worked at Western Electric Company, Point Breeze works in Maryland who retired in the summer of 1952. He was presented with a scrap album by his coworkers upon his departure. The first page of this album starts with W. B. Gray's, often referred to as Bill throughout, business card with a hand written note that says he retired on August 1, 1952. Next is a program for Gray's Testimonial Dinner thrown in his honor. The rest of the album is full of short notes written to Gray from his coworkers that are full of well-wishes at his retirement. The majority of the album has on each page two 8" x 5" pasted in notes with the phrase "Should Old Acquaintance be Forgot". Written on each of these pieces of paper are the notes, hand written and typed, from Gray's coworkers. Often pasted on next to the note is a picture, general a head shot, of his coworker who wrote the note. At times these pictures have been cut out so that only the head (and no background) of the picture is shown. The notes themselves go from general well-wishes on a happy retirement, to memories about past times sometimes with humor thrown in. A few are even poems. One note that stands out in particular is actually a punched out computer time card with a sentiment written onto it. There are also several pages of just photographs throughout the album, generally either group images of employees or Gray in the outdoors with several unknown individuals. Lastly there is a copy of his employment contract. Loose in the album are a company organizational chart from Aug. 1945 and a copy of "The Pointer" a company newsletter from August 1952 which as an article on Gray's retirement.Below are two examples of the notes (the first an acrostic):"W ith rod and lureB eguile the finny denizens of streams;G aff your fish afterR eeling in you catch andA dmit to the gurgle of white water -Y our travail has ended." "Best Wishes for a Happy Retirement; Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think."Green Leather covers with gild lettering. 80 pgs. Approximately 95 photographs, some of which are cutouts. 127 letters/notes. This count does not include loose items or the program, contract, or business card.