Collier Reed Granberry

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Granberry

Collier Read
1899 - 1962

Ruth McMillan

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Collier Read Granberry
June 29, 1899 - August 21, 1962
Executive Director, Texas Legislative Council 1956 - 1962
Parliamentarian, Texas House of Representatives, 18 Sessions
Professor of Electrical Engineering,
The University of Texas 1938 - 1954
Member of Electrical Engineering Staff, 1927 - 1954
Assistant to the President, 1945 - 1950
Assistant to the Chancellor, 1950 - 1953, The University of Texas
His Wife
Ruth McMillan Granberry
Full Name: Collier Reed Granberry
Location: Section:Republic Hill, Section 2 (C2)
Row:G  Number:1
Reason for Eligibility: Governor's Proclamation 
Birth Date: June 29, 1899 
Died: August 21, 1962 
Burial Date: August 23, 1962 
 

GRANBERRY, COLLIER READ (1899~1962) Collier Read Granberry died on August 21, 1962, after a brief illness, thus terminating a career dedicated to service to The University of Texas and to the State of Texas over a period of about 40 years.

Mr. Granberry was born in Austin, Texas on June 29, 1899, within a few miles of The University of Texas and the State Capitol of Texas, and his life was built around these centers of education and of government. He was the son of Marcus Collier Granberry of Austin, and Jennie Roberta Reed Granberry of Vicksburg, Mississippi and Austin. He [was] survived by his wife Ruth McMillan Granberry whom he married in June 1935 and one son, John Larry Granberry.

Read was continuously associated with both The University of Texas and the State Government of Texas throughout his entire adult life.

He attended the Austin public Schools and was president of his graduating class at Austin High School in June 1918. The following September, he entered The University of Texas, enrolling in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1924. He was active in student affairs during his undergraduate days, serving on the Student Assembly in 1919 and 1920, and as President of the Student Association in 1921. He was first appointed to the University teaching staff in 1926 and as an instructor in the Department of Electrical Engineering. He advanced through the positions of Adjunct Professor and Associate Professor to Professor in 1938, which title he held throughout the remainder of his life.

Mr. Granberry was an excellent teacher, not only proficient in his subject matter but also enthusiastically interested in the professional development of his students. His primary sphere of professional interest was in Illumination Engineering and he taught courses in this field for many years. The program in Illumination Engineering at The University of Texas was the direct result of Mr. Granberry‘s interest and eminence in this area. He was a member of the Illumination Engineering Society and served on various committees for the Society. Several of his summers were spent in research work in the Lamp Department of General Electric Company at Nela Park, Cleveland, Ohio. He played a major part in the development of the state motor headlight law and was for a number of years technical advisor to the Motor Vehicles Inspection Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

During World War II and shortly prior to it, Mr. Granberry served as director for The University of Texas Engineering Science and management War Training Program which trained many engineers for defense programs. Included were three classes of women Engineering Aide Trainees preparing for technical assignments at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. In 1945 Mr. Granberry shifted a considerable amount of his time and interest to administrative capacities, serving as Assistant to the President of The University of Texas and supervising public relations for The University. He continued to teach a course in Illumination Engineering each semester in the Electrical Engineering Department. With the appointment of the first Chancellor to The University of Texas in 1950, Mr. Granberry became Assistant to the Chancellor and continued this position throughout the tenure of Chancellor Hart.

Mr. Granberry served on many important committees during his career at The University of Texas. Among these were Editor of the Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Industry in 1947, a member of the Committee on Organization and Functions and the Future of The University of Texas in 1938. He was Chairman of the Public Relations Committee of The University of Texas and its sub-committee on Radio and Television from 1945 to 1953, and Chairman of the Commencement Committee from 1945 to 1953. He was in charge of The University of Texas State Fair Exhibits in Dallas from 1951 to 1953 and he was a member of The University of Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Council from 1937 to 1945 serving for one as Chairman of the Council. He was a member of the University Faculty Building Committee from 1945 to 1953 and was in charge of a 1953 Revision of the Rules and Regulations of the Board of Regents for the government of The University of Texas. He had administrative charge of the Frank Reaugh and Samuel E. Gideon Art Collection.

Mr. Granberry‘s career with the State Government of Texas lasted over a period even longer than his career as a Professor and administrative assistant at The University of Texas. The late Sam Rayburn was speaker of the Texas House of Representatives when Read Granberry first became associated with the legislature as a page in 1909. Six years later, in 1915, he was appointed Parliamentarian for the House of Representatives and performed the duties of this office, as well as editing the Texas Legislative Manual for 19 sessions. He was a member and Chairman of the Governor‘s Advisory Committee on Veteran‘s Education from 1949 to 1953.

Mr. Granberry was granted a leave of absence from The University of Texas in 1953, to become Executive Assistant to Governor Allan Shivers. Through extension of this leave, Mr. Granberry retained the title of Professor of Electrical Engineering until the time of his death. On January 1, 1956, he became the Executive Director of the Texas Legislative Council. In this position, he was in charge of numerous research studies requested by the Legislature. These included problems related to the Texas teacher retirement system, child care, juvenile delinquency, oil and gas development of lands underlying state owned highway right-of-way, problems of uninsured motorists, municipal annexation, financing the State Board of Water Engineers, special funds for the State of Texas fees charged by various departments, state owned submerged land and the possibility of revision of the Constitution of Texas.

Mr. Granberry‘s hobbies included a collection of Central Texas Indian artifacts, color photography and painting. He loved to explore creek beds after a rain for exposed arrowheads. His water colors are in several state and private collections.

Mr. Granberry was a registered professional engineer in the State of Texas from 1938 to the time of his death. He was listed in >u>Who‘s Who in America, Who‘s Who in Engineering, Who‘s Who in American Education and in American Men of Science.

He was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Silver Spurs and Eta Kappa Nu. He was a Mason and a Senior Warden of the Episcopal Church.

Source: In Memoriam: Collier Read Granberry, a memorial resolution prepared by a special committee of the Faculty Council at The University of Texas at Austin by A. W. Straiton, W. R. Woolrich, and B. N. Gafford, Chairman, and was accessed from the Faculty Council Website at http://www.utexas.edu/faculty/council/2000-2001/memorials/SCANNED/granberry.pdf.

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