Dave Gray had a vision.
Gray purchased the home next to St. Ann’s Academy years ago with the intention of turning the property into a STEM learning center that would benefit the Hornell community. Gray had founded a successful business, Gray Manufacturing Industries, and was eager to equip new generations with those skills and a passion for engineering and innovation.
Gray died unexpectedly in 2021 before that vision could be made a reality, but now, with the help of his family and community partners, Gray’s biggest dreams are coming to fruition.
Gray’s son, Nick, recently completed his Eagle Scout project at St. Ann’s, creating an outdoor learning center dedicated to STEM and nature education where the vacant home once stood.
The process took about a year as the school board approved the plan and Nick worked with contractors to demolish the house, erect a white fence and get the site prepped for the outdoor classroom.
Nick and his troopmates spent a recent Saturday building three raised garden beds for growing lessons. The outdoor classroom also features a dig zone, two sensory tables, a painted rock garden, two Wi-Fi camera bird feeders, a white board, and a magnet wall for engineering lessons. A weather center and a building zone will be added in the future.
The learning center, dedicated to Gray’s memory, is fittingly named “Dave’s Wonder Lab.” Dave was an avid gardener, outdoorsman and education booster. He helped co-found St. Ann’s Academy, keeping the school in Hornell at a time when its future was in doubt.
“St. Ann’s Academy gave Nick an incredible education and he wanted to give back. It was important to him,” said Penny Gray, Nick’s mother. “He wants to study engineering.”
St. Ann’s initially intended to construct a STEM education building on campus, netting a $423,750 grant through Hornell’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative. COVID, inflation and other factors scuttled those plans, but Dave’s Wonder Lab will fulfill the spirit of that initial proposal.
“The whole theme is STEM education,” Penny said. “That was the original plan for that space. We just had to pivot a little bit and make it an outdoor space as opposed to a building.”
David Gray Discovery Center also continuing legacy
Dave’s Wonder Lab was supported by a $40,000 donation from the David A. Gray Legacy Foundation.
Established in the wake of Gray’s death, the foundation supports Hornell causes related to education and physical or mental wellness. Those causes all came together in the foundation’s largest-ever donation last year. It contributed $300,000 to purchase a building at 20 Elm St., which is now the future home of the David A. Gray Discovery Center.
The $3.2 million facility will include a daycare for over 100 children, a senior center for older residents, and a Maker Space/STEM lab in the basement. The Hornell Area Family YMCA is spearheading the project.
Dave Gray served on the YMCA board for nearly two decades and helped lead the charge for its new building. Penny knew the foundation wanted to support the right project with the Y.
Finally, inspiration struck.
“I was originally thinking of doing a mental wellness center,” Penny recalled. “That was important to me, but I was at a science museum with my granddaughter in Syracuse and it dawned on me that this is the kind of facility Dave would get behind, a STEM learning center and a Maker Space for kids.”
Students at St. Ann’s and Hornell city schools will have access to the Maker Space and STEM lab, along with members of the community. Nick is on a committee tasked with the development of the space.
The YMCA expects the Discovery Center to be completed sometime in 2026.
What’s next for David A. Gray Legacy Foundation
The David A. Gray Legacy Foundation has also supported causes at St. James Hospital and the Hornell Public Library, while awarding scholarships to graduating Hornell students.
The YMCA runs an annual Dave Gray Golf Outing, which is coming up on Saturday, Aug. 16 at Twin Hickory Golf Club.
The foundation serves as a Gold Sponsor for the event, but the proceeds support YMCA causes; the foundation is privately funded and doesn’t seek donations.
Penny and her children evaluate funding requests as they are submitted to the foundation.
“We know the causes that are important to us. Everything has fallen in line with our mission statement,” Penny said. “Whether it’s the hospital or anything related to education, physical or mental wellness, we’re going to be excited about helping.”
Dave Gray was a changemaker in the Hornell community, and the foundation is working to ensure his many passions continue to thrive and bear fruit for years to come.
“I think he’d be happy,” Penny said. “He would not be happy with having his name on things because he was very modest about that, but I think it’s important to honor him.”
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: New Discovery Center, ‘Dave’s Wonder Lab’ build on Dave Gray’s Hornell legacy. Here’s how
Reporting by Chris Potter, Hornell Evening Tribune / The Evening Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
