Political Leaders 2007 Profile: Eric Gregory

Name: Eric A. Gregory
Age: 34
Born: Richmond
Current Digs: Richmond
Occupation: Lawyer/Assistant Attorney General II
Favorite part about the job: Working with and serving my state agency clients and contributing to the shaping of public policy in a small way.  The state employees and public servants I work with on a daily basis are dedicated to doing their best for the citizens of the Commonwealth and it is an honor to help them.
First job ever: I was a Ukrop’s Grocery Store Courtesy Clerk (bag boy) and it was a really positive experience.  The managers and entire company taught me a lot about honest hard work, integrity, service, and feng shui and the art of bagging groceries.    
Favorite book? Chesapeake by James Michener or One Man’s Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey by Sam Keith and Richard Proenneke
Favorite movie?  Big Fish, Amelie, The Passion of the Christ, and Saving Private Ryan
Must-see TV? Nothing in particular.  But, I watch Fox News or the Outdoor Life Network from time to time and my wife, Allison, and I enjoy the Travel Channel and Food Network sometimes.
Comfort food? Venison stew and crusty bread.
What’s in your car CD player right now? It’s on the fritz so nothing right now.  I just listened to 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann (book on tape) and now I’m on to The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Books on tape are all I really listen to.
Favorite vacation spot? Anywhere with my wife; anywhere on the water, or Spain or Italy.
Last gift you received? Personal stationery from my wife for our first anniversary.
Best advice you ever got?  “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.” – Mr. Stavredes, my high school principal. “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”  -  Theodore Roosevelt
Whom do you admire and why? I admire Theodore Roosevelt a great deal.  His life exemplifies the virtues of integrity, leadership, service, self-reliance, and straightforwardness that I admire.  I also admire those who selflessly serve others for the common good.
If you could have dinner with any one currently living, whom would it be and why? After my wife, either Pope Benedict XVI, Henry Kissinger, or James Baker.   
Describe a perfect day.  Up early for a sunrise duck hunt with buddies, returning home by 9:00 for a nice breakfast and a walk with my wife, Allison, and the dog.  Then off fishing with my brothers and back home for a late afternoon cookout with family and friends.  Of course, that will all probably be revised to include diaper changes and naps after our first child is born in November.    
One thing people might be surprised to learn about you? Dude, my hair was down to my shoulders when I was in college.
Ambition, political or otherwise? I hope to serve the people of our Commonwealth in some capacity, whether in elected or appointed office; to help improve our society; and to help others help themselves. We’ll see.