Dick Gray is the author of the unique, fascinating financial book, "The Greedsters", published in the year 2012.
It has been said Dick Gray is a true Renaissance Man of many talents. Born on April 6, 1918 in Peoria, Illinois, he likes to describe himself as one who has lived many different types of lives during his 94 years through 2012.
He was educated as a Petroleum Engineer at Dartmouth College, the University of Wyoming and the University of Minnesota, from which he graduated in 1940. Montana State University has recognize d his contributions to science with an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Science (D.Sc. (Hon). TheUniversity of Minnesota has honored him with an Outstanding Achievement Award and he has received many other similar recognitions, including the Proclamation at the State Capitol by the then Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty of Dick Gray Day for the State of Minnesota on April 24, 2006.
As a U.S. Naval Officer during WWII, he was aboard an amphibious attack ship (APA) and covered 68,000 miles of the Pacific Ocean in areas of engagement that included the invasion of Iwo Jima.
In 1948, he founded the Minnesota Corporation, Zero-Max Industries, Inc. and for 33 years sold a patented mechanical variable speed device throughout the world. He owned a company in Basel, Switzerland, Zero-Max, A.G., which was used for a free-port distribution system for Europe. Zero-Max Industries Inc. was sold in 1981 to the Miki Pulley Company of Kawasaki, Japan with American headquarters in Golden Valley, Minnesota. Zero-Max products are widely sold and used in the world today.
In 1968, Mr. Gray joined the Board of Directors of the Investors Group of Companies in Minneapolis, a mutual fund complex of 35 companies, sold by IDS (later American Express and Ameriprise Financial), at the time the largest complex of funds in the world and today has assets in excess of $one hundred million. He was a Board member of all companies for 25 years and CEO for 5 years. He was a member of the Investment Company Institute (ICI) of Washington, D. C. and became familiar with numerous major financial companies, their executives and many of their policies.
Also in 1968, Mr. Gray founded what today is The Freshwater Society. He led a drive to raise $multi-millions to plan, build and equip a 52,000 square foot research facility which was donated to the University of Minnesota's College of Biological Sciences for freshwater research. He continues to be a Board member of the non-profit The Freshwater Society.
A world traveler, Dick Gray has had residences in Minnesota, Colorado and Arizona, where he has been active in a multitude of non-profit organizations, including the Minneapolis YMCA, Center for the Great Lakes, Minnesota Planned Parenthood, Science Museum of Minnesota, Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, Lamont-Doherty Geophysical Laboratory atColumbia University and the Marion Downs Hearing Center Foundation in Denver , Colorado.
Because of his worldly business, financial, charitable and executive experiences, he felt he was qualified to write "The Greedsters", a book full of greed examples on Main Street, Wall Street and other financial scenes around the globe
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