Daughter of Civil Rights pioneer Fred Gray dies at 68
Civil Rights attorney Fred Gray has announced the death of his eldest daughter Deborah Gray, who was the managing director of the Tuskegee History Center.
Deborah Gray died Sunday, August 24. She was 68.
Deborah Gray, was born April 2, 1957, at St. Jude Hospital in Montgomery, the first of four children born to Fred D. Gray and the late Bernice Hill Gray. Deborah died at Baptist Medical Center South after a brief illness.
Deborah Gray had led the Tuskegee History Center since 1997, moving to Montgomery to transform a former bank that is dedicated to telling the stories of landmark legal battles, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, human rights struggles and the voting rights movement. The Center is the official visitor center for Tuskegee and Macon County.
Legendary civil rights attorney Fred Gray (right) speaks to Action 8 News as his statue is unveiled in downtown Montgomery, Thursday, April 24, 2025 – Photo from WAKA Action 8 News
The funeral for Deborah Gray will be held Friday, August 29, at 12PM at Holt Street Church of Christ, 945 S. Holt Street in Montgomery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Tuskegee History Center in the name of Deborah R. Gray at www.tuskegeecenter.org or by mail to P.O. Box 830768, Tuskegee, AL 36083.
In honor of Deborah’s life and service, the center will be closed on Friday, August 29, the day of her service. Regular operations will continue under the 2025 summer schedule, which ends Saturday, August 30, from 10AM-3PM. Following the conclusion of the summer schedule, the center will reopen in February 2026, with additional hours to be announced.
