Emma Mae Gray
Emma May Gray is a sprite 100 years old and still drives herself around town.
She moved to Findlay when she was five from Michigan and has seen wonderful things here. She first attended Lincoln school when it was brand new. Her dad had a Ford truck and drove them around town as the were one of the few families to have a vehicle. Others still used horses or the trolley. She loved the Blanchard River bridge which separated the North and South parts of town. Her family moved and they lived on College street. and she attended Howard school. The Findlay College campus was a playground for her and her sister.
There was lots of manufacturing she remembers, pottery, glass, umbrellas and the always present gas wells. Downtown was “spectacular” with the Jacksons store selling everything imaginable. There was the Swartz grocery store with an elevator and operator. She has fond memories of General Pershing riding into town on his horse and of the circus unloading down on Sixth street.
She is most grateful to her parents who taught her many things and provided “a great educational foundation” for them. After high school she attended Miami college until the depression hit hard. After her son graduated from college she went back to Findlay College and finished her degree. “I have had a very positive and exciting life” she proudly explains. She was married for 60 years to George and they had one son. Both have preceded her in death.