University of Virginia Library

Pete Gray And Chris Leventis

Rarely do we find men like Pete Gray and
Chris Leventis. They always gave their utmost
effort in any endeavor that they entered.
They always commanded the deepest respect
and admiration of their fellows. This summer
death claimed both of them.

Mr. Gray and Mr. Leventis had much in
common, not only during their student days
at the University, but also after they had
taken their degrees. Both men, who were
leaders of the Zeta Psi fraternity, chaired the
Honor Committee in their positions as
President of the College. In addition, both
were active leaders in many political and
service organizations on the Grounds,
accruing to themselves almost every
conceivable honor bestowed upon members
of the University community. Both men
cherished their years as students at Virginia
and sought to serve their alma mater through
the workings of the highly acclaimed Seven
Society.

Mr. Gray was not only a leader of student
organizations and an outstanding student in
the classroom, but also a determined athlete
who could surprise both his coaches and
teammates when he performed beyond his
physical capabilities. Many fourth-yearmen
now at the University remember Pete Gray's
unassuming demeanor, inner calmness, and
solid character as he led in the academic halls,
on the field, and at the podium. Although Mr.
Gray was not a Rhodes Scholar, he would
have been a "natural" for one, as present
Rhodes Scholar Charles C. Calhoun observed.

Funeral services were held for Mr. Gray
south of his home town of Richmond after he
had received a mortal injury in a Vietnam war
zone. A trust fund has been established by
friends to coordinate and receive memorial
contributions. Those interested should
contact Steve Etheridge of the School of
Medicine.

As a tribute to his University career, Chris
Leventis received the coveted Algeron Sydney
Sullivan Medallion for the most outstanding
student taking his degree in 1964. Mr.
Leventis brought to Virginia from his home in
Columbia, South Carolina a tradition of
honor and leadership that other members of
his family who have attended the University
since his days as a student have continued. His
actions and his character served as an example
that all sought to emulate.

A fund for memorials to Mr. Leventis has
been established by the Seven Society. It is
our understanding that these memorials will
take the form of a scholarship for his son and
for future University students. Contributions
should be sent to the Seven Society at the
Rotunda.

Both of these men had the quality of
greatness. What is it that makes us call a man
great? Surely it is more than their material
achievements while they were with us on the
Grounds and success in their outside careers.
We believe that this excerpt from a eulogy
given at Chris Leventis's funeral defines the
greatness that both of these men most
assuredly possessed: It is "the worthiness of
the object and the intensity with which he
pursues it that makes him great." "A flame
can burn with such intensity that he becomes
white. Some men live with such intensity that
they are felt by people who have never seen
them. They can give life to people who are
starving for it. Out of their surplus, they can
give it away extravagantly; and the more they
give, the more they have. They gather
together in the most extraordinary way the
loose ends of their times; in a special way
their family - their friends - their associates
- and bind them into a unity that makes
sense. They give them a voice and make them
sing in unison. They bring to a focus in
themselves the hopes and fears of their own
years, and lift them above the humdrum and
routine of human life. They can feel things so
deeply that they make other people, not so
sensitive, feel them, too."

Death came to these outstanding young
men too soon. When it unexpectedly came to
Mr. Leventis during slumber and to Mr. Gray
on an Asian battlefield, the University lost
two of her finest sons. Although their lives
with us have ended, their achievements and
contributions to Virginia and their sterling
characters will continue to defy mortality as
they serve as goals and ideals that the best
among us may hope one day to equal. We
must be satisfied that for a few short years we
and the University were nourished by their
greatness, that we knew men like Arthur Pete
Gray and Christopher Agis Leventis who
"reached out both hands in constant
helpfulness to his fellow man."