Roosevelt Alums to be Inducted in School's Hall of Fame

Two alums will be honored at 7 p.m. Tuesday as they are inducted into the Distinguished Graduate Hall of Fame.

This year’s inductees are Michael Gray from the class of 1968 and Juan Carlos De Marco from the class of 1971.

For more than a decade, Gray has been a collegiate coach for both men’s and women’s cross-country and track at Central Arizona College. His teams have won 12 National Junior College Athletic Association National Titles and have placed second on 15 other occasions. He has been nominated as Coach of the Year six times by the NJCAA.

Gray coached at the high school level before joining the Athletic Department at Central Arizona. During those years, his record with both boys and girls cross-country and track brought two state titles.

As a 1968 athletic graduate, Gray went on to pursue his bachelor's degree in physical education at Eastern Michigan University in 1973. He later earned his master's degree from Arizona State University in 1980. Additionally, he was inducted to the Wyandotte Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.

Gray’s mentoring goes beyond the sport, however, as he has led 90 percent or more of his student athletes to pursue four-year colleges with scholarships and even participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Currently, Gray and his wife, Carole, live in Tucson with their two daughters.

International relations is another common aspect of these two candidates. As a 1971 graduate, De Marco is an accomplished musician, athlete and educator. He came to Wyandotte as a member of the Youth for Understanding International Exchange Students Program from his home country of Argentina, where he was in the Tune Toppers Vocal Music Ensemble and the A Cappella Choir.

After returning to Argentina, De Marco entered the National University of La Plata, Argentina, and earned separate degrees as a lawyer, attorney, notary and social communicator specializing in journalism.

He lived in Madrid, Spain while finishing a Doctorate in Law, and in Washington, D.C. at Georgetown University while achieving postgraduate certification in political science. He currently is completing his master's thesis on international relations and is finishing his master's in Latin American integration.

De Marco has extensive journalistic experience in print, television, photography and film media. As a war correspondent for Spain in 1985, he covered the Contras uprising in Nicaragua. While in Washington, D.C., in 2000, he reported on the United States presidential election.

The induction ceremony is open to the public and is slated for 7 p.m. Tuesday in the school’s cafetorium at 540 Eureka.

In order to be considered, candidates must have exemplified distinction and honor not just individually, but to all alumni. Contributing to their profession through outstanding performance and leadership, literary and professional publications or recognized success in their particular field of work makes them eligible

Additionally, candidates must have contributed to their community through time, effort or money for a project to benefit the entire Wyandotte area.