Couple awarded 2026 UC Davis Medal

UC Davis sign at the intersection of 3rd and A streets. (Aggie File)

Robert D. and A. Kathleen Grey are the latest recipients of the school’s highest honor

The UC Davis Medal, the university’s highest honor, was awarded to Robert D. and A. Kathleen Grey. The philanthropic couple — a retired UC Davis administrator and staffer, respectively — are the 13th recipients of the recognition.

The Medal is bestowed annually to individuals who make extraordinary contributions to the campus and embody and honor the campus’ Vision of Excellence. It recognizes individuals of rare accomplishment “to be heralded and in perpetuity.”

UC Davis does not offer honorary degrees, though the medal provides an alternative way to honor individuals in a similar fashion under special circumstances.

Robert D. Grey joined UC Davis as an assistant professor of zoology in 1967, later becoming a department chair. He went on to serve as the first dean of the Division of Biological Sciences — a precursor to the College of Biological Sciences — from 1985-1993. Furthermore, he worked on expansion in the UC Davis School of Medicine and health system.

He also championed the Center for Neuroscience, the university’s first interdisciplinary research center that was founded in 1992. In 2023, the building was renamed in his honor.

Robert D. Grey retired from the university in 2001, returning to higher education for brief stints as the acting chancellor of UC Riverside in 2007-2008 and as the University of California’s interim systemwide provost in 2008.

A. Kathleen Grey, who goes by Kathleen, worked at the university as a program specialist and early childhood development specialist in the Early Childhood Laboratory at UC Davis from 1988-1999. While there, she contributed to the Baby Signs Project, a sign language program for preverbal children.

After retiring, Kathleen Grey spent another 15 years teaching parent groups about toddler behavior and how they are affected by communication and emotional drive.

“We are so surprised, touched and honored to be recognized in this way,” Kathleen Grey said in a university press release. “[Robert D. Grey] and I have spoken so often about our gratitude for what UC Davis and the University of California system have given us over the years. It wasn’t just our jobs and careers, but the lifetime of friendships and relationships with colleagues and students that have been incredibly meaningful for us.”

Aside from their individual contributions to campus, the Greys made a $1 million gift donation to the Center of Neuroscience in 2022. The donation contributes to undergraduate research awards for students at the Center for Mind and Brain and aids in the center's ability to sustain itself as a research hub.

“It’s rare to find a couple who has given as much to a university as Robert and Kathleen Grey,” UC Davis Chancellor Gary May said in the same press release. “From the moment they joined our community in 1967, they have helped transform UC Davis into a global powerhouse, led by [Robert D. Grey’s] academic stewardship and Kathleen [Grey’s] expertise in child development. Their generous legacy ensures this impact will continue for generations.”

Past honorees of the UC Davis Medal include Maria Manetti Shrem, co-namesake of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, Gary Snyder, a Pulitzer-prize winning poet and former President Bill Clinton.

The Greys reside in Davis, where they raised their two children. Their daughter, Erin Merritt, matriculated from UC Davis in 1989.

Robert D. and A. Kathleen Grey were not available for comment.

Written by: Rachel Tran — campus@theaggie.org