Judith (Monroe) Gray

Ancestors

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Biography

Judith was born in Texas, winter of 1940. She spent most of her childhood in Visalia, California, although her parents had moved several times before she was four years old. They had lived in Bozeman, Montana; Big Spring, Texas; Los Angeles, California, before moving to Visalia where they lived for about the next 13 years. Her brother was born there in 1947.

Judy loved visits to family. Her paternal grandmother died when she was about 8 years old. She met her once on a visit to Oklahoma just after her brother was born and not long before her grandmother passed in 1948. Most visits were to Texas to visit her mother's family about every other year. She had the opportunity on visits to turn the handle of the milk separator; make butter; drink water from a well; gather eggs; swim in a water storage tank; chop cotton with her grandfather for a brief time; ride and drive a motorscooter. Once she wore a dress that her grandmother had worn about the same age. There was also the chance to do things with her cousins, who lived nearby or were also visit grandparents.

In Oct 1956, the family moved to Bakersfield, California. Judith finished high school, then went to Bakersfield College a community college. Next she attended UCLA where she earned her B.A. After UCLA, she worked in an intern program at Kern County Library, Bakersfield to gain experience for Library School at USC.

After graduating with her M.S.L.S., she worked for Kern County Library, Reference. She remained in library work for the next 38 years, working in various areas: Reference; Reader's Advisory; Government Publications; Children's Services; Special Collection of Children's Literature (University of Southern Mississippi); School Libraries (Pascagoula, MS: the High School and alternating at two elementary schools); Management as County Librarian (Texas); and with the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District in Reference, Assistant Branch Manager, and Branch Manager.

Judith retired in 2006.

Since retirement, she has occupied herself with genealogy, research, reads, listens to music (jazz, classical, rock). She reads and watches and loves mysteries (often having a strong idea of the guilty person), documentaries, dramas, travel, history, and discovered streaming services where old loved programs and movies can be revisited as well as new titles. Like her brother, she is also a sports fan and watches college football, basketball, baseball, softball, gymnastics, track and field, especially her alma mater. She also likes the NFL; ice hockey [long been an LA Kings fan, and added LV Golden Knights as a fan]; rugby; Canadian football; ice skating; cycling; equestrian events, especially dressage.

She married James I. "Jay" or "JIm" Gray in 1967 in Las Vegas, Nevada. They lived in West Los Angeles, Monterey Park, Alhambra, Bakersfield, California and in Mississippi in Jackson County, Columbia, and Hattiesburg. They divorced in Apr 1977. No children.

Judy loved her occupation as a librarian. She worked primarily in public libraries in reference, reader's advisory, children's, and management in Kern County, California; Santa Monica City, California, Los Angles County, California; Howard County, Texas; and Las Vegas-Clark County. She also worked in a hospital library, Kern (CA) Medical Center, and special collection at University of Southern Mississippi. Judith worked as a school librarian for Pascagoula (MS) School District, at the high school and alternated at two elementary schools. She particularly enjoyed working with children, especially doing storytelling programs. Her other favorite was reference work, which she equated with her love of mysteries and solving the puzzle of finding answers to questions. Particularly, she enjoyed working with and helping people.

Sources

• First-hand information. Entered by Judith Monroe at registration.

Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997Texas Birth Index. https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/23777858/person/1426620438/facts

U. S. School Year Books, 1900-1999. 1962, UCLA. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1265/images/31916_b033781-00377?pId=21428067&backurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.com%2Ffamily-tree%2Fperson%2Ftree%2F23777858%2Fperson%2F1426620438%2Ffacts%2Fcitation%2F135114719103%2Fedit%2Frecord

U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999. 1963, UCLA. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1265/images/31916_b033782-00381?pId=21482019&backurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.com%2Ffamily-tree%2Fperson%2Ftree%2F23777858%2Fperson%2F1426620438%2Ffacts%2Fcitation%2F17132957990%2Fedit%2Frecord

U. S. City Directories.