An early advocate of downtown preservation, his projects include the Montgomery County Court House, RTA headquarters at Third and Main streets, the Reynolds and Reynolds building on Ludlow Street, the Stivers School for the Performing Arts and the Orr-Statler hotel in downtown Piqua.
Besides his paid work, “Jeff Wray consistently gave his expertise, and his professional hours, to countless preservation efforts, never expecting anything in return,” said Pam Miller Howard, a board member of Preservation Dayton Inc.
Wray, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati school of architecture, attended Fairmont High School where he played varsity football.
“Jeff was the kind of player who, after he knocked you down, he’d bend over and offer to pick you up,” classmate Tim Irelan recalled.
Two recent lawsuits against Wray alleged faulty design work, including at Stivers, which is spending more than $1 million to correct problems in its auditorium.
Friend Craig Rider said the lawsuits caused Wray “to suffer tremendously inwardly,” but he never lost “that trademark twinkle in his eyes.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2437 or jdebrosse @DaytonDailyNews.com.
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