Gregory Trask

Jerry Lacy as Gregory Trask

This article is about the 1897 character. For the 1795 character, see Reverend Trask.

Gregory Trask was a preacher and educator, who ran Worthington Hall, a private school for orphans with his wife, Minerva, and daughter, Charity. He was the son of Elias Trask, the grandson of Lamar Trask, and the great grandson of Reverend Trask. He was, in all probability, the great-grandfather of Tony Peterson, although it was never confirmed.

Trask arrived at Collinwood at the behest of Edward Collins to take his children, Jamison and Nora away to his school, Worthington Hall (725).

His timing was most auspicious, for Judith Collins was busy trying to deal with a family crisis, namely her brother, Quentin had been first turned into a zombie and then his spirit had possessed his nephew, Jamison Collins. Rev. Trask was able to remedy the situation by praying for a soul transfer, which not only returned Jamison's soul to it's rightful body, but apparently restored the previously dead Quentin to life (It was actually Angelique who had restored Quentin's life). This increased the trust Judith had in him (726).

He was, however, spotted by Barnabas Collins, who recognized him as a relative of Reverend Trask whom he had killed just over 100 years earlier. When the subject of Reverend Trask came up, Gregory Trask said he was his great-great grandfather, who mysteriously disappeared after he left Collinsport and returned to Salem (726).

Gregory Trask knew of Rachel Drummond from when she had been a student and then teacher at Worthington Hall, where she claimed he kept her salary and overcharged her while she was there (726). Trask did not deny this, but said that the authorities would never believe her over himself.

Trask planned to take Jamison and Nora to Worthington Hall, but Jamison hid with Quentin's help and returned once Edward returned home, and gathered his promise to wait a couple of days before he made a decision (727).

Trask was also a devious blackmailer. He blackmailed Evan Hanley into helping him arrange the death of his wife, Minerva Trask after discovering Hanley trying to contact the devil. After the death of his first wife, Trask married Judith Collins so he can get control over her money and Collinwood. He and Evan Hanley tried to drive her insane with the ghost of Minerva Trask. Trask and Evan convinced her to sign a document committing her to a sanitarium. After Judith was committed, they disposed of Minerva's spirit for good. When Jamison becomes possessed by Count Petofi and Edward Collins acts like a servant, Trask wanted Evan to draw up papers to have them put into a sanitarium. Under the spell of Petofi, Evan tricked Trask into signing a confession saying that he and Evan killed Minerva. Due to Petofi's spell, the confession letter kept coming back to him. Charity found his confession, but she dindn't turn it into the police. Quentin later found Trask's confession and threatened to give the letter to the police if Charty tells anyone about him being the werewolf. Gregory Trask later suspected Quentin Collins of being the werewolf after finding him chained up in his room. Trask locked Quentin in a cell in the basement of Collinwood to wait for the transformation and he gets his confession back from him. Quentin didn't transform due to the portrait of himself and he was set free. Judith returns home after four months in the sanitarium. Judith reclaimed her power over Collinwood with the help of Evan Hanley and she planned to write Gregory out her will. Tim Shaw told her that during the time she was in the sanitarium, Trask was seeing a wealthy widow named Mrs. Curry. She wanted to marry Trask. He failed to tell that he had already remarried. When she found out, she committed suicide. After hearing that, Judith askes Tim to help her get revenge on her husband. Gregory tried to get Aristede to murder her in exchange for getting rid of Garth Blackwood. Trask wanted to prevent Judith from writing him out her will. Aristede was make Judith's murder look like a robbery. Aristede failed to kill Judith when Blackwood walked in on him.

Once more, Gregory Trask met his end when Judith Collins and Tim Shaw bricked him up behind a wall just like his great grandfather (884). Judith tormented Trask over Quentin's telephone. She also tormented him with the portrait of Amanda Harris, who Tim used earlier to get revenge on Trask. Gregory Trask shot himself with a pistol after realizing there was no way out of Quentin's room.