TSU mourns loss of former president
Granville Sawyer: An Enduring Giant
Kangsen Feka Wakai
Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: News
Granville M. Sawyer: An Enduring Giant
Kangsen Feka Wakai
A public memorial for Dr. Granville M. Sawyer has been scheduled for Saturday, June 7, 2008 on the campus of Texas Southern University. Sawyer passed on April 12, 2008 after a protracted illness.
He was a native of Mobile, Alabama and served with the United States Air Force. He later earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Tennessee A&I College. He would eventually earn a Masters of Arts from the University of Texas and a doctoral from the University of Southern California.
Sawyer's commitment to academic excellence and his humanism left a mark on those he encountered like Lawrence N. Redd, PhD, Director of Television at the Tavis Smiley school of communications and a former student of Sawyer.
"Dr. Granville Sawyer made students a central part of his higher educational service. As my undergraduate teacher he was a cool even-tempered intellectual who was analytically demanding. Many of my former students successfully regenerated their careers using the pyramid philosophy I learned from Dr. Sawyer. As a professional I found his observational powers and vision to be world class accurate, and his impact on higher education is symbolized by his enduring impact on TSU; its longest serving President. I will forever miss visiting and still learning from him," said Redd.
Sawyer's place as a visionary and intellectual powerhouse is not confined to the different campuses where he worked. After leaving TSU he served in a number of official capacities in both government and the corporate world.
In fact, during the early days of the Nixon presidency when the country was just recovering from the violence that had swept through university campuses, TSU included, Sawyer was selected to be part of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest. He would also serve as a consultant for the Peace Corps services.
It was vision that Sawyer began to champion the case of Nigeria as a viable trade partner with Houston. Today, TSU and Houston is host to a bourgeoning Nigerian business and economic community that continues to facilitate trade and cultural exchange between the two regions.
Through out his career, Sawyer was a champion of humanistic causes with an unwavering belief in the empowering and redeeming power of education.
"Education is man's last best hope," Sawyer once noted.
Today, his name graces the wall of University's main auditorium as a testament to his great legacy.
Kangsen Feka Wakai
A public memorial for Dr. Granville M. Sawyer has been scheduled for Saturday, June 7, 2008 on the campus of Texas Southern University. Sawyer passed on April 12, 2008 after a protracted illness.
He was a native of Mobile, Alabama and served with the United States Air Force. He later earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Tennessee A&I College. He would eventually earn a Masters of Arts from the University of Texas and a doctoral from the University of Southern California.
Sawyer's commitment to academic excellence and his humanism left a mark on those he encountered like Lawrence N. Redd, PhD, Director of Television at the Tavis Smiley school of communications and a former student of Sawyer.
"Dr. Granville Sawyer made students a central part of his higher educational service. As my undergraduate teacher he was a cool even-tempered intellectual who was analytically demanding. Many of my former students successfully regenerated their careers using the pyramid philosophy I learned from Dr. Sawyer. As a professional I found his observational powers and vision to be world class accurate, and his impact on higher education is symbolized by his enduring impact on TSU; its longest serving President. I will forever miss visiting and still learning from him," said Redd.
Sawyer's place as a visionary and intellectual powerhouse is not confined to the different campuses where he worked. After leaving TSU he served in a number of official capacities in both government and the corporate world.
In fact, during the early days of the Nixon presidency when the country was just recovering from the violence that had swept through university campuses, TSU included, Sawyer was selected to be part of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest. He would also serve as a consultant for the Peace Corps services.
It was vision that Sawyer began to champion the case of Nigeria as a viable trade partner with Houston. Today, TSU and Houston is host to a bourgeoning Nigerian business and economic community that continues to facilitate trade and cultural exchange between the two regions.
Through out his career, Sawyer was a champion of humanistic causes with an unwavering belief in the empowering and redeeming power of education.
"Education is man's last best hope," Sawyer once noted.
Today, his name graces the wall of University's main auditorium as a testament to his great legacy.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Jorge S Lopez
posted 4/14/09 @ 11:25 PM CST
Granville Sawyer Ph.D.
I worked for him for two years doing research for his articles and memories here in Corpus Christi; I was introduced to him by B. (Continued…)
San Antonio Movers
posted 1/20/10 @ 3:01 PM CST
Sounds like he was a really great person.
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posted 3/24/10 @ 4:36 AM CST
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