History

The articles, the blog posts, the tweets, the videos—we’ve got the whole story for you right here. Read on . . .

October 28, 2011
Various Houston Press staffers arrive at work, surprised that Chris Gray, usually one of the first to his desk, has not arrived and is apparently on radio silence. Tweets seeking info on his whereabouts from his concerned colleagues start to flick about in the ether, and Facebook status updates add to the chorus.

Meanwhile, if you are checking the Houston Chronicle website, you might notice this story: Medical Emergency Stalls Metro Train Service. And, if you are riding the train, you may not be aware of where the problem is, but the backed-up trains make it clear there is one.

As word starts to get out, messages shift from seeking Chris to asking people to keep him in their prayers. Chris’s brother, John Seaborn Gray, tweets the answer to everyone’s questions about what’s happened to Chris—he’s at the hospital recovering from an apparent heart attack.

October 31, 2011
The Houston Press publishes, then updates, the first of several stories about Chris’s condition.

November 1, 2011
People are thrilled to read that Chris is laughing and talking with family and friends visiting him in the hospital.

November 3, 2011
The Austin Chronicle’s Margaret Moser pens an update for all of Chris’s friends and fans in the town where Chris got his start as a critic. It’s illustrated with a great pair of photos of Chris in 1999 with Governor Ann Richards. The next day, in the Off the Record blog, the Random Play section has another quick update as well as another classic Austin image of Chris.

November 10, 2011
The call goes out for bands willing to donate their time and talent to play at the January 14, 2012 Houston benefit for Chris. (The deadline was November 18, 2011 -thanks to all who volunteered!)

November 14, 2011
The Press publishes more details about the good Samaritan and METRO officers who rescued Chris.

November 17, 2011
KHOU interviews Chris on the Ensemble/HCC platform, which means he’s out of the hospital, walking and talking. They also post the raw video feed from METRO’s camera showing the good Samaritan pulling him from the tracks and summoning help.

November 30, 2011
Hero Cops METRO Awarded for Helping Save Chris Gray: METRO and the American Heart Association recognize the two officers who called for an ambulance and administered CPR until paramedics arrived.

December 18, 2011
Chris makes a surprise visit to check in with some of the event organizers. He looks great!

December 29, 2011
In a Rocks Off blog post announcing some of the bands that will be playing at Chris Gray Day, Craig Hlavaty slips in the news that Chris will be back in the office within a few weeks. That’s music to our ears—and his!

If we’ve missed a story or a link, please let us know with a comment so we can complete this archive. We’re striving for accuracy, but the internets are a big place.