Alice Gray

Alice E. Gray (June 7, 1914 – April 27, 1994) was an American entomologist and origamist. She worked as an entomologist at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York for 43 years, writing, illustrating, and creating large models of insects. Known as the "Bug Lady", she conducted outreach and education in the museum, brought specimens to local schools, and appeared on The Tonight Show. She began practicing origami first as an extension of her interest in insects, starting a tradition of using origami creatures to decorate the museum's Christmas tree. In the 1960s, she became more involved with the origami community and, in 1978, co-founded the Friends of the Origami Center of America in New York with Lillian Oppenheimer and Michael Shall, now known as OrigamiUSA.

Early life and education

Alice E. Gray was born on June 7, 1914. Her mother came from a farming family and her father was an engineer. She was interested by insects as a child. Her mother, when asked by Alice to keep insects she had caught, agreed under the condition that Alice learn what they ate by dinnertime, leading her to become an amateur entomologist at a young age. She proved to be a skilled illustrator, modeler, and writer, and engaged in a range of public relations and communications activities. She wrote for museum publications, constructed many of the department's displays, built large models, and illustrated entomology handouts still used . She explained her modeling process and purpose in a lengthy article in Mechanix Illustrated in 1945. She appeared with her insects on television in the 1960s and 1970s, including an episode of The Tonight Show. She gained international recognition for her work developing models, writing books, and generally supporting the paperfolding community.

Folding paper to create toys and models of insects also became part of her work at the museum.

When Japan Publications looked to create a beginners' origami book for American schoolchildren, it recruited Gray to work with Japanese artist Kunihiko Kasahara on what would become The Magic of Origami, released in 1977 with Oppenheimer credited as photographer. An origami butterfly named "The Alice" was dedicated to Gray by artist Michael LaFosse in 1992.

Later life

Gray retired from the museum in 1980, after 43 years, but remained involved as a volunteer. She also continued to be active in origami communities, serving as the president of the Friends of the Origami Center of America from 1985 to 1989. She died in Norwalk, Connecticut, on April 27, 1994, at the age of 79.