On September 20, 2018, Lois Spier Gray passed away. Lois was the Jean McKelvey-Alice Grant Professor Emeritus and former Dean of Extension of the ILR School. 

In 1946, Lois founded the school’s first off-campus extension office in Buffalo, and subsequently moving to direct the New York City office before being appointed Associate Dean and Director of Extension. Lois completed graduate degrees (M.A. at University of Buffalo and Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University) while working fulltime for Cornell ILR. 

Many innovative programs were established under her leadership including Labor and Urban Affairs, Programs for Employment and Workplace Systems, the Institute for Women and Work, Summer Schools for Women Union Activists, Hispanic Labor Leadership and Labor Studies for College Credit. 

She was an Associate of the Worker Institute where she engaged in research on the arts and entertainment industry.  She served as a trusted and valued member of staff at the Worker Institute until she passed.