The blog of Richard Thompson, caricaturist, creator of "Cul de Sac," and winner of the 2011 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Mary Z. Gray


This is my friend Mary Z. Gray on a video from the Washington Post site. My dad worked with Mary on the President's Committee on Mental Retardation back in the 60s and 70s. In 1982, after Mary had become a crack freelancer of humor and travel pieces, she sold a story to the Washington Post Style section and sent along a drawing I did with it. The Post published the story, which wasn't unusual, they'd run Mary's stuff for some time, but they ran the drawing too, thus inadvertently launching my dubious career.


In the video Mary, who's one of the funniest raconteurs I know, talks quite movingly about growing up on Capitol Hill and living above her father's funeral parlor. I'd heard her talk about this before, but never known the address of her old residence. Reading the interview in today's Post Metro section. I turned to B8 at the jump and there was a photo of the house's current incarnation. It's now the Haskell Center, part of the Folger Shakespeare Library where my wife works as a docent.

The full interview with Mary is here

5 comments:

Ryan Shepard said...

Any idea if her memoir will be made available? It sounds like something that should be scanned for the Capitol Hill History Project's Web site...

Mike Lynch said...

Thanks for this, Richard. What a lovely and amazing woman!

Anonymous said...

My Great Grandmother, Mary Zerherst Gray is an amazing woman indeed! She is wearing a button I made for her that says, "Worlds Best Great Grandma" and she sure is!

sydney shenk kissinger said...

I sure loved finding this video of Mary Z. Gray with whom I share my grandchildren with - I am their Grandma and she is their Great Grandma! They are on their way to see her on a train right now! I look forward to reading her new book!
Sydney Kissinger

Ethan Taliesin said...

http://www.amazon.com/301-East-Capitol-Tales-Heart/dp/0615543413
Cool!