Godfrey Wray a distinguished author, journalist and sports administrator has died in the United States of America.
He was 78.
Wray worked at the Daily Chronicle, the Guyana Graphic and the Guyana Chronicle where he was the Sports Editor in the 1970s and 80s.
Wray first became the Sports Editor in the 1970s under the late Carl Blackman and he eventually was appointed Sunday Editor.
He was also Editor of the Citizen Newspaper, an afternoon newspaper which was the stable mate of the Guyana Chronicle, his friend and former colleague Bert Wilkinson recalls.
Godfrey Wray
After The Citizen folded in 1979, Wray subsequently left the Guyana Chronicle and worked at Banks DIH Limited where he started a sports magazine before migrating to the USA.
While in the USA, Wray was the Editor of the Caribbean Impact newspaper which served the mainly Caribbean community in New York.
He later returned to Guyana in 2015 when the administration changed and was Editor of the Guyana Chronicle under Nigel Williams, then the Editor-in-Chief.
He was also a veteran sports administrator serving as vice-president of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) for a number of years under the late President Alston `Kim’ Kissoon and Rice Magnate Beni Sankar.
Wray and his son, Jason, were table tennis enthusiasts and Wray took part and won the veteran’s category at the Champion-of-Champions table tennis tournament sponsored by overseas-based Guyanese and former national junior player, Mark Cappell, in 1989.
Former GTTA president and 1992 Caribbean men’s singles champion, Sydney Christophe, yesterday paid tribute to Wray.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of this great, but humble man, who will be remembered for his lightheartedness and always jovial demeanor.
“If there was another person who could ‘hold down’ a crowd and have them cracking up like ”Goddo” I have not known or seen,” Christophe added.
“I remember him sharing a famous joke about having gone to a World title fight with a famous Guyanese boxer as the interpreter. He must have shared this joke a thousand times but each time it was like something new,” said Christophe.
“As an administrator in the Guyana Table Tennis Association, his contributions were immense and pivotal to many of our players including myself winning titles and medals in the Caribbean and further afield,” said Christophe, now a respected coach in the USA.
In 2016, the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) bestowed upon Wray, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Award for his longstanding contribution to sport in Guyana.
Wray was also presented with an award by the Guyana Cultural Association at the organization 2017 Awards Ceremony in Brooklyn.
Yesterday the Guyana Press Association issued a statement on the passing of the veteran journalist.
Following is the statement.
“The Guyana Press Association is saddened by the passing of journalist and writer Godfrey Wray.
Wray served as a senior journalist at the Daily Chronicle and Guyana Graphic back in the 1970s. He also served as a Sunday Editor at the Guyana Chronicle and Editor of The Citizen. Wray also worked in the media as a Sports Reporter and Sports Editor. At the Guyana Chronicle he was Sports Editor during the 1980s.
He also managed Guyana’s table tennis teams to the Caribbean Championships. He, himself, was a table tennis player but he never played at the national level.
Wray migrated in the early 2000s and continued his work as a journalist at Caribbean Impact, a fortnightly newspaper published in New Work.
According to the biography for his book, “Beyond Revenge”, Wray traveled extensively around the world covering major assignments, including Olympic Games, Heads of Government Conferences and State visits.
Condolences to his family and friends especially those in the media.
