Author Profile: James Lee Bray
Jim became truly interested in acting in college (College of William and Mary) and was a regular cast member of that institution's theatre. He appeared in eight shows including Shakespeare, O'Casey, and Shaw offerings.
Bray began his serious efforts as a playwright in the 1960s with his The Counting People and The Cry of the Crows for Pioneer Drama. Other plays included To Burn a Witch, Princess O'Toole, The Blue and the Gray and The Black.
Commissioned plays have also been a part of Bray's writings. He and twin brother were commissioned by the U. S. Department of Interior to write eight dramas to celebrate the 1781 surrender of the British at Yorktown, Virginia. And James Bray also wrote The Founders, a play commissioned by Pi Kappa Alpha to celebrate their century mark anniversary.
Television scripts by Jim Bray were numerous. He produced and wrote a local series, From the Glory, on WRVA-TV in Richmond, Virginia which lasted two years with 26 shows being aired.
Professor Bray is a title Bray enjoyed for some 33 years at Salem College, Winston-Salem, NC. In addition, he served as the director of the NC Governor's School, a summer program for gifted and talented high school youths. In 1994 and l995, Bray served as president of the National Conference of Governors' Schools an organization representing over 100 such schools in 30 states.
James Bray spent his later years as a full-time playwright in Winston-Salem, NC. He and wife, Virginia, had two sons. He passed away in 2003.
