Mr. Grays was born in Dayton in 1947. Grays grew up in the Low-Woods community of Dayton. Grays mentioned a time when the church vehicle was stranded and they were not allowed in an establishment to call for aid in the late 1950s. Grays attended Prairie View and graduated in 1969. Grays then taught for a year in Port Arthur teaching drafting. Grays had some difficulty with promotions and training in the workplace as a drafter and plant/piping designer.