R.J. Gray, Professor Emeritus of Osgoode Hall Law School, passed away in January, 2023.

R.J. graduated from Osgoode Hall with his LLB in 1957 and joined the faculty in 1959. In addition to being a Torts professor R.J. served for many years in the position of Assistant Dean. Most importantly from my perspective and I’m sure from R.J.s perspective too, he was the coach of the Owls, Osgoode Hall’s inter-collegiate basketball team.

Unfortunately, I never had the privilege of having R.J. as a professor but I was lucky enough to have him as my basketball coach for three seasons on the Osgoode Hall Owls (1980-83). Our road trips throughout Ontario and Quebec with R.J. were something special. R.J. coached teams of twelve players per year from 1959 until his retirement in 2000. R.J. made it a priority to get to know each one of us.

More than a couple decades after my graduation, I was on the driving range in pouring rain at Bigwin Island Golf Course on Lake of Bays, as part of a group of twelve. Some guy in in a yellow rain suit and hat comes up the path yelling: “Where’s D. Korman, where’s D. Korman?!”. R.J., now retired and cottaging nearby, was “working” as a course Marshall. R.J. saw my initial and last name on the Starter’s sheet so he came to check if it was me.

R.J. then spent most of the day marshalling my group, telling stories about me and my Owls teammates, enquiring about my personal life and professional career, and trying to find the ball after all of my errant shots.

R.J. was an amazing coach, guidance counsellor

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