Humanities Building Bears name of longtime Political science Professor

The O.A. Grant Humanities Building was named in 2007 to posthumously honor a faculty member who served during a critical time in Tarleton’s growth.

Grant, hired in 1948 as a political science professor, served in that capacity for almost 20 years before becoming the head of the social sciences department. He returned to teaching full-time in 1976.

Naming the building honored Grant’s “dedication and farreaching involvement with the university.”

Those characteristics were proved in 1965 as a small consortium of teachers, including Grant, pooled resources and paid for Tarleton’s first-ever African-American student to attend classes.

In 1954, he was awarded the Ford Foundation Grant for a year’s study at Stanford University. Grant was Tarleton’s first professor to receive the Minnie L. Piper Award for outstanding teaching in Texas colleges and universities, which he won in 1962. In addition, he received the Outstanding Educator of America in 1973.

Local recognition included the Tarleton Distinguished Teaching Award in 1981 and the Distinguished Faculty Member award in 1983 from the Tarleton Alumni Association.

After 39 years of service to the university, Grant retired in 1987. In light of his numerous contributions to Tarleton, Grant was conferred with the professor emeritus title by The Texas A&M University System. The Tarleton Alumni Association and the Tarleton Alumni Relations Office also honored Grant by establishing the O. A. Grant Excellence in Teaching Award, which recognizes faculty members who have had a profound effect on the lives and careers of Tarleton students.

The building that bears Grant’s name, originally built in 1973, was upgraded to the tune of more than $13 million in 2014, adding needed classroom and office space, special study and resource areas such as the Writing Center, state-ofthe-art communications, broadcast and journalism learning environments and technology.

The O.A. Grant Humanities Building