A native of Forsyth County, North Carolina, Bowman Gray, Sr., was the son of James Alexander Gray, one of the founders of Wachovia Bank. Gray was a student at the university from 1890 to 1891, and began his career as a salesman for R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1895. His two sons, Bowman Gray, Jr., and Gordon Gray, were philanthropists and gave the funds for the Bowman Gray Swimming Pool named in honor of their father. Gordon Gray (1909-1982) served as president of the consolidated university from 1950 to 1955.