Moses Gray understood that opening a door for yourself was only part of the work. What mattered was whether you held it open for someone coming behind you. He did that throughout his life.
Gray came to Indiana to play football at Indiana University, where he became a standout athlete before going on to play professionally. He later built a 30-year career at General Motors and became deeply involved in civic life across Indianapolis.
But among the accomplishments that endured longest was an organization he helped build around a straightforward idea: Black men taking responsibility for helping youth see – and reach – greater possibilities for their lives.
Gray was a founding member of The 100 Black Men of Indianapolis and became an early officer of the national organization. Here in Indianapolis, he helped establish mentoring programs that brought members of The 100 into local schools and connected young people with Black men who could offer guidance, encouragement, and an example of what was possible. For Gray, that investment was personal.
After his death in 2023, people who knew him described a man who made a habit of encouraging others, particularly younger men finding their own place in community leadership. James Duke, a longtime leader within The 100, remembered Gray pulling him aside as a younger member simply to tell him he was doing a good job and to keep going. It’s a small moment, but one that says quite a bit about the man.
Gray understood that mentorship doesn’t always arrive as a formal program. Sometimes it is an introduction, a word of encouragement, or an opportunity offered at the right time. Other times, it’s someone with experience recognizing potential in someone who is still developing his own.
Today, that same instinct lives on through the Moses Gray Scholarship.
Established by The 100 Black Men of Indianapolis in 2022, the scholarship supports former participants in The 100’s programs as they continue their education through college, technical education, or trade school. This year, The 100 awarded $18,000 in Moses Gray Scholarships.
The money arrives at a pivotal moment. These students have moved beyond the programs that first connected them with The 100. They’re choosing fields of study, preparing for careers, and taking on more responsibility for the direction of their lives. At the same time, tuition, books, fees, and the everyday costs of continuing an education can determine which opportunities remain within reach. The scholarship is one way The 100 continues showing up.
That continuity matters because the organization’s work has never been simply about helping a young person reach graduation. The larger goal is to prepare him for what comes afterward and to keep him in the network of people willing to invest in his success.
Gray helped establish that culture decades ago.
He also understood that a strong community requires people to invest whatever they have to give. His own life moved through athletics, corporate leadership, and civic service, but he consistently used the relationships and opportunities he built to make room for others.
His son, William “Bill” Gray, remembered discovering only later how far his father’s influence had traveled. Growing up, Moses Gray was simply Dad. Through other people’s stories, the larger picture emerged: the people he encouraged, the organizations he strengthened, and the lives he touched.
That is the complicated thing about legacy. You rarely get to see how far your influence will travel. Gray could not have imagined the students who would one day receive scholarships bearing his name. Many weren’t even born when he was helping build The 100 and its mentoring work in Indianapolis. He couldn’t have known their names, their ambitions, or where their lives would take them. What he did know was that investing his time, talent, and treasure in young people today could change what became possible for the generations that followed.
The $18,000 awarded this year is meaningful because it helps students meet real needs right now, and its significance stretches further.
A founding member invested his time in building The 100. The organization invested in generations of young people. Now, as some of those young people step into adulthood, an investment carrying his name helps them take another step. And if The 100’s work has taught us anything, it’s that the investment doesn’t stop with one generation.
Carry the Legacy Forward
A gift to the 100 Black Men of Indianapolis is more than support for a program. It is an investment in young people as they discover their potential, prepare for their futures, and grow into the leaders, professionals, parents, and mentors our community will depend on next.
You can make that investment today. Or, through The 100 Strong Society, you can build The 100 into your legacy by including the 100 Black Men of Indianapolis in your estate plans. Planned gifts can help sustain this work far into the future, giving young people you may never meet opportunities you can help make possible.
That is the power of legacy. We may never know every life our generosity will touch. We simply decide that the next generation is worth investing in. Moses Gray made that decision in his lifetime. We invite you to make it in yours.