Hal Gray plaque unveiled

5 July 2018

BIR President Andy Rogers unveiled a plaque dedicated to the life of Professor Louis Harold (Hal) Gray at Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood in May.  Professor Gray was a British physicist who invented the field of radiobiology and defined a unit of radiation dosage which was later named after him, becoming the recognised SI unit, the gray. The ceremony was attended by David Young, a supporter who remembers learning about Hal Gray at university, and the plaque was jointly unveiled by Hal Gray’s granddaughter, Joanna Gray. 

The death of LH Gray in 1965 marked the end of an era in radiobiological research. Articles in BJR tell more about his life and works. His obituary was written by Jack Boag¹ and EL Powers gave an American view of Gray in October 1965². As President of the BIR, Hal Gray gave his BIR Presidential Address in 1950 and spoke on non-medical aspects of medical radiology³.

Andy Rogers, said “It was a real honour to be able to participate in the unveiling ceremony of a plaque for Hal Gray. Hal was an esteemed scientist, pioneer and ex-BIR President. For me, the highlight was to be able to meet the granddaughter of Hal and also talk to colleagues who had worked with the great man – these are some of the genuine highlights of being a BIR President”.

 Photographs courtesy of The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Image: Left to right, Andy Rogers (President BIR), David Young and Joanna Gray.
Reference links:
¹ Boag, JW. Br J Radiol 1965; 38: 706–707 https://doi.org/10.1259/0007-1285-38-453-706
² Powers, EL. Br J Radiol 1965; 38: 804–805 https://doi.org/10.1259/0007-1285-38-454-804
² Gray, LH. Br J Radiol 1950; 23: 627–633 https://doi.org/10.1259/0007-1285-23-275-627