Breaking Barriers
Jan and Skip Gray are a perfect match. The couple, who met in 1964 in a Mesa College geology class, had much in common, even before they became acquainted.
They were both from Colorado — Jan from Grand Junction and Skip from Denver. They were both active in their Methodist Church youth groups. They were both musicians. They were both raised by parents from the South who were committed to their communities and active in public service. And they both began their college education at Mesa. Yet, as much as they had in common, Jan wrote that “race and skin tone were the obvious differences between us.”
Consider this: It was 1963 when Skip Gray arrived at Mesa College. Skip had earned a scholarship to any state-supported college or university in Colorado. Both of his parents had gone to college in Georgia, and his mother, Juanita Gray, a Denver librarian, served on the Colorado Board of Community Colleges.
“Mesa is hands-down the best, and that’s probably where you should go,” Skip remembered her advising him.
Jan matriculated at Mesa in 1964, the first in her family to attend college. After their fateful meeting in geology class, they became friends and study partners. The Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage was still three years into the future. It was 1969 by the time they married — in Santa Fe, New Mexico — after their pastor in Grand Junction refused to perform the service.
Looking back over their time together at Mesa, Skip concluded that “she was innocent, and I was pretty naive.” Yet nothing stopped them. Following graduation with associate’s degrees from Mesa, Skip earned a JD from the University of Denver law school, spending the bulk of his legal career as an attorney for the Denver City Attorney’s Airport Legal Services. Jan completed her teaching degree at Adams State. Together, they settled in Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood and raised their two sons. Jan founded Park Hill Adventures, a highly regarded, hands-on, experiential preschool.
In Park Hill, issues of race continued. Some neighbors accepted them. Some were more wary. When they tried to join Jack and Jill, a social organization for black families, they were turned down because Jan was white. She recalls being called to her children’s school to pick up her son who was ill, and the school nurse apologizing for calling the wrong parent. But they found a home in Park Hill Methodist Church, where they helped the congregation transition to being interracial and have continued to actively build community.
Jan worked her entire career to open opportunities for children of all races, learning abilities, and family structures, making Park Hill Adventures a nurturing and all-embracing environment. Skip focused on increasing diversity within the legal profession as a board member of the Sam Cary Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association Board of Governors, and as the board chair of the Center for Legal Inclusiveness. In 2023, he was honored by the University of Denver Sturm College of Law as a “DU Law Star.” Skip currently chairs the Colorado Facilities Health Care Authority.
Looking back on his time at Mesa College, Skip shared that “Mesa is in my DNA. What Mesa did was to center my self-esteem. I left Mesa thinking, ‘I’m okay, you’re okay.’ My self-image is unshakeable, even when I fail.” Jan believed that her experiences helped her to discover “power in the art of quiet advocacy.”
Summing up their 56 years (and counting) of marriage, Skip put it this way: “I cannot imagine any life without Jan. Ergo, I cannot imagine my life had I not come to Mesa.”
A Story 100 Years in the Making
Want to learn more about CMU's history? Purchase Colorado Mesa University - A Century of the Maverick Spirit, written by Amber J. D'Ambrosio and Kristen Lummis. The 192-page book chronicles CMU's 100-year journey of growth, resilience, and community impact, celebrating the people and moments that shaped our Maverick history.
CMU's Century Project honors one hundred years of Colorado Mesa University's rich history - celebrating the people, milestones and spirit that have shaped our enduring legacy. As we reflect on this meaningful milestone, proceeds from the commemorative Century Book and events throughout the year will benefit the Century Scholarship, ensuring that future generations of CMU students can continue to grow, learn and carry the CMU legacy forward.