This article originally appeared at KY Forward and is written by Judy Clabes and Roger Auge.
The Grayson family has been part of the fabric of Northern Kentucky for as long as anybody alive today can remember. The family legacy revolves around community involvement, support of all kinds of good works, leadership in countless organizations – and being all-around good neighbors and citizens.
In recent generations that legacy extended statewide and today is making a mark nationally as well.
It started with Charles Merwin – “Mer” — Grayson Sr., a quiet, elegant banker who raised a family in Park Hills back when Edgewood and Villa Hills were gleams in developers’ eyes.
Then came Mer Jr., a tall, engaging fellow and friend-to-all, who followed in his father’s banking footsteps – and inherited his leadership skills and devotion to community as well.
Name a community organization in Northern Kentucky and you’ll find that Mer Jr. has been involved somehow – and usually lead the way. His biggest contribution to Northern Kentucky, however, may very well be the bride he brought home, Susan Rhodes Grayson of Paducah, a former Miss Kentucky finalist he met as a student at the University of Kentucky. He had the pleasure of crowning her Queen of the Little Kentucky Derby in May of 1963. Their first date was Derby Day, 1967, some 4 years later. They married in June of 1968. Susan taught school, coached cheerleading, and became an avid golfer, a tireless community volunteer, hostess with the mostest – and the anchor of a busy, growing family.
Mer Jr. started his banking career at First National Bank in Cincinnati but later joined his father at Peoples Liberty Bank. At age 35, he was lured to a restructuring Covington Trust to become president. Huntington Bank acquired Covington Trust in 1986 and Mer Jr. continued as president until “retiring” in 2001 to sailboating and Dataw Island, S.C, a retirement that ended in 2005 when Central Bank called on the popular local banking icon to head up their effort to enter the Northern Kentucky market. In eight short years the Central Bank has grown to three locations and approximately $150 million in assets.
But Mer Jr.’s distinguished career in banking nearly pales in comparison to his service to the community. He has set a standard — serving on the governing boards of St. Elizabeth Health Care (chair seven years), St Elizabeth Health Care Foundation (founder and chair for 10 years) Northern Kentucky University (chair), the University of Kentucky, Thomas More College (chair) the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce (chair), Greater Cincinnati United Way (chair), The Greater Cincinnati Fine Arts, Tri County Economic Development, and most recently the Northern Kentucky Educational Council, Greater Cincinnati Airport Board and the Markey Cancer Center at UK. This list of activities, honors and recognition would go on and on. There are surely records there – and a high bar for the next generation.
Today, Mer Jr., at 71, is still going strong – but saves his strongest accolades for his only son who decided to take the public service route to advance the family legacy and a daughter who skillfully balances motherhood and a successful career.
Enter son, Trey – yes, that’s the third Charles Merwin Grayson. The 1990 Dixie Heights High School academic stand-out won his first statewide election as Secretary of State in 2003, becoming the youngest Secretary of State in the nation and the first Northern Kentuckian to be elected to a state constitutional office in almost 100 years. He was re-elected in 2007. It came as no surprise that he distinguished himself — as an advocate for modernizing the office through technology, enhancing civics education in classrooms throughout the state, and in assuring honest elections.
Today, as director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University, he is taking the family reputation for leadership and involvement to a new level.
Trey prepared himself for public service early on. With an undergraduate degree in government from Harvard, he earned the prestigious Bert Combs Scholarship to the University of Kentucky College of Law and got an MBA as well as a law degree.
Trey says he knew when he headed to Harvard his future would be in banking, law or politics.
“I am the son of the son of a banker,” he says with a smile. “I might have gone into banking with my father except that Huntington Bank had nepotism rules.”
Just as well, because by the time he graduated from Harvard both heart and head were in politics.
While practicing law back home, he became active in Republican circles. In 2003, he was invited to join the Senior Advisory Committee of Institute of Politics. That appointment opened more doors and put him on course for a major adventure.
After two terms as Kentucky Secretary of State and an unsuccessful bid for a congressional seat, he was offered the Institute position. Today he is a nationally recognized expert on the political attitudes of Millennials, the 18-to-29 age group, and on election law. He serves on the Presidential Commission on Election Administration and as Faculty Fellow for the Harvard Men’s Basketball team.
On a recent visit to Northern Kentucky, he regaled a packed crowd at the annual dinner of the Covington Business Council with a keynote speech on his groundbreaking Millennials research. His schedule also included: several press interviews, morning golf with high school friends, an afternoon meeting with NKU President Geoff Mearns, an appearance at the Western Kentucky Fancy Farm political event and the Reds-Cardinals game.
“Trey was a very good student and a good athlete in high school,” says the proud dad. But being an Equal Opportunity Proud Father, Mer Jr. is quick to add, “But Suzy was also a very good student and perhaps a better athlete. She played volleyball, basketball, golf and tennis. Her basketball team won the regional tournament and played in the Kentucky State Tournament in 1992.”
Susan “Suzy” Grayson Hill lives in Ft. Mitchell with her husband Ron and two daughters, Avery, 8, and Emery, 6. She is an external consultant to Toyota in Change Management, spending most of her time at the Manufacturing headquarters in Kentucky while traveling to California monthly to Toyota’s Sales and Marketing headquarters. A chip off the family block, she is actively involved with the Cincinnati Ballet and has chaired several successful fundraising events including Club B and the Nutcracker Luncheon, though she prefers a lower profile.
In the small-world category, Suzy and her brother’s future wife, Nancy, met at a church camp in Irvine as youngsters and became friends. Nancy met Trey “officially” at Suzy’s wedding in 1998. They were engaged in the spring of 1999 and married in January 2000. They have two daughters, Alex, 12, and Kate, 10.
Mer Jr. and Susan are more than ready to pass the mantle of the family legacy to their children and grandchildren. “The future is with Trey and Suzy and our four grandgirls, Alex, Kate, Avery and Emery,” Mer Jr. says.
The Big Question about Trey, throughout Kentucky, is whether he will run again for elected public office. His wife thinks he will. His father, with a wealth of experience from which to draw, thinks university presidencies, directorship of other entities such as Harvard’s IOP could be in the future. As for Trey: “I’m enjoying the current adventure. But who knows what the future holds?”
Stay tuned, as the Grayson Legacy continues as a work in progress.
Judy Clabes is editor of KyForward. Roger Auge is a free-lance writer based in Northern Kentucky. This story first appeared in Northern Kentucky Magazine.
Photo: Trey, Susan and Mer Grayson (Photo by Judy Clabes)
