Steven Dean Gray

Steven Dean Gray, M.D., passed away on 29 September 2002. Though he fought Wegener's Granulomatosis for an amazing 18 years, he died of complications of cancer. He never gave in to the pain and disruption caused by chronic illness, but rather each day met the new challenges head on. He is survived by his wife, Janice and his three children.

He was a Professor of Surgery in the Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Utah and held the Charles B. Hetzel Presidential Endowed Chair, focusing on laryngeal research in the last 5 years. All knew his compassionate care of children and their parents as well as of his adult voice patients. He was an accomplished teacher and mentor. Many residents and Ph.D. candidates benefitted from the unquenchable enthusiasm Steve carried for all he did. His excellence in clinical care and research allowed him the invitation to lecture extensively in the United States and abroad. His presentations motivated research and suggested the new wave of understanding that would come from the molecular biology of the larynx.

His passion was laryngology. His NIH funded research centered on understanding the larynx from aging to the extra cellular matrix, from teachers’ voice problems to tissue engineering. In this pursuit he always held to the highest standards, leaving a legacy of excellence. In addition to expressing his knowledge and experience as an author of 81 papers and 22 book chapters, he had the goal of developing groups of researchers and clinicians that would extend his ideas. He was not possessive with ideas but continually trained those who would follow: his NIH sponsored Symposium on Research Techniques for Voice and Speech held recently in Wisconsin, just before he was diagnosed with cancer, was indeed the culmination of years of networking to move solid research forward. His impact on both Voice and Pediatric Otolaryngology will be felt for years to come.