Thomas: Remembering John Gregory, Longtime NoVa Republican Leader

John Gregory

By Michael Thomas

Anyone who is involved in the political process – including party politics – for any length of time will have the opportunity to get to know men and women from virtually every walk of life imaginable. My experience is no different. Out of the thousands of men and women I have met over the years, quite a number are memorable. A number of these are or were also remarkable.

Sometimes, though, there are people you get to know who are remarkable in so many ways that the only way to adequately express how you feel about them is that it is a privilege to know them.

John Gregory of Manassas was one such man. On Monday, John went home to be with the Lord and with Angela after 96 full and impactful years.

In most facets of his life, John was like most every member of “America’s Greatest Generation,” who responded to his country’s need during World War II. He did what needed to be done, came home, and focused on his community, family and work.

Like others of his generation, his deep sense of service drove his active involvement in so many aspects of his community and Commonwealth. More importantly, though, this sense of service manifested itself in how he carried out service to others. Never once in the 27 years that I knew him did John Gregory try to push himself into the spotlight, nor did he seek notoriety for the things he did. Indeed, John was one of the most unassuming individuals I have ever met.

He was a practitioner of Luke 6:31. John was one of the most respectful individuals you could meet. Many times I saw him turn the other cheek in circumstances in which many people would lash out in retaliation. Consequently, it was rare to find someone from among those who might disagree with John on an issue or a candidate who actually disliked John. That doesn’t mean he didn’t have strong opinions or that he was unwilling to express a difference of opinion. He did. As in so many things, though, it was how he expressed himself.

Even though John Gregory was not driven to seek the limelight, he also didn’t shy away from being a leader. In business, John was incredibly successful and prosperous. Yet, he was always generous with his time for community organizations, and with his finances for numerous community and individual needs.

In politics, John was also a leader. He served for many years as the Manassas GOP Chair and, prior to that, for the combined Prince William/Manassas/Manassas Park unit. John was a member of the State Central Committee for a number of years, as well as delegate to RNC conventions.

He was also a generous contributor to Republican candidates. During the 1993 campaign for Governor, John and Angela Gregory not only were significant donors to the Allen campaign at a time when conventional wisdom said Mary Sue Terry’s 29 point lead in the polls was too big to overcome, they provided substantial, creative in-kind help that enabled grassroots fundraising to grow and to keep the campaign moving. There are many whom I consider heroes from that campaign. John and Angela Gregory are near the top of the list.

John had a positive outlook on so many things, even as he knew his time was near. John could find a silver lining in most any cloud that the rest of us focused on. And I am humbled by his example in more recent years – how he cared for and protected Angela as it became more and more difficult to get out and be active, or how he was not willing to let age be the excuse for not attending events or participating in the community (thank you, Anna Lee, for helping him get to so many events when he could no longer drive and for the many other kindnesses that folks will never know about).

I wish it was possible to capture more of John’s memorable and remarkable life. Please feel free to help with that by leaving a comment. He embodied many qualities we would do well to emulate.

We will miss John Gregory. And what a privilege it was for those who knew him.

[Mr. Gregory’s funeral will be held Saturday, June 9. More details here.]

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Mike Thomas earned his degree in political science from the University of Richmond and, since 1996, has served as First Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. He served as the Commonwealth’s Secretary of Administration for Governor George Allen, and then worked as State Director and Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator George Allen. Mike has been a senior vice president at McGuire Woods since 2007.