The City of Chandler honored Jon Gray with a street named after him at a special ceremony before the annual Christmas parade on Saturday. A replica street sign was given to the baseball player by City Manager Jason Orr and Mayor Kent McVey at Randy Bowen Chevrolet.
“The big question is, what do you get a person whose contract is larger than the annual budget?” McVey joked. “You marinate on that for just a minute.”
The City Council voted unanimously on Nov. 14 to rename East Memorial Road, deciding on Jon Gray Drive. They decided on that particular road for its significance to Gray, who took it to get to baseball practice. It’s located off Route 66 and leads to the south entrance of the high school complex, where the baseball and softball fields are located.
“Hopefully, it becomes an inspiration to other kids that travel that same road, knowing that you can come from Chandler, Oklahoma, and you can have success,” McVey said.
Following the presentation, Jon and his wife Jacklyn presented donations to the City of Chandler, Chandler Athletic Program, and Chandler Schools.
“We actually come bearing gifts. Because our parents always taught us never to show up anywhere emptyhanded,” Jacklyn said.
The couple donated $10,000 to the city and another $10,000 to the athletic program. They then gave a check for $5,000 to Chandler Schools.
“It was amazing growing up here. We just want to see the next generation treated well,” Jon said. “We thought that we definitely wanted to give back some since you’ve given us so much.”