President of the Autry museums to retire

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The president of the Autry National Center of the American West, John L. Gray, is retiring from the job he has held for 11 years.

Gray has presided over an era of many changes for the Autry, including its merger with the Southwest Museum of the American Indian in 2003.

A former federal administrator and bank executive, Gray said one of his attractions to the Autry’s collection was that ‘the museum had the potential to look at people’s identity, how they could see themselves as Westerners and to help them learn through history.’

Gray’s tenure was often fraught with conflict about the Southwest Museum, which struggled to support itself as an independent institution. He views the merger as a success. For the complete story on Gray’s retirement, click here.

Above: John L. Gray and Linda Strauss of the umbrella Autry National Center, inspect the Southwest Museum’s textile collection in 2005 Credit: Al Seib/Los Angeles Times