In Memoriam

Wesley Grant

Wesley Grant
1964 graduation

Wesley Grant was remembered at a Memorial Service in Battell Chapel on June 5, 2009 during our 45th reunion. The following remembrance was read by Marc Blum '64.

This memorial is by Wes's rooming group at Jonathan Edwards based on many good interactions during college and shortly afterwards, when communications became increasingly less reciprocated. We do not speak for Wes's family, at least as represented by his two children and their mother, Wes's second wife. Their view is that Wes resented Yale for its lack of recognition of him over his 10 years here.

Wes Grant grew up where his family always lived―in Gill, Massachusetts, north of Greenfield and south of the Vermont border. He went to Mt. Hermon and Yale on full scholarships. Wes was strong and a skilled athlete, and an electrical engineer going on for an MS and Ph.D in Engineering and Applied Science, also at Yale. He was devoted to the Yale Hope Mission and was its President. After one good party at Mory's senior year, Wes stumbled out the door onto his face on the sidewalk. Before his roommates could get to him, two of his Hope Mission clients asked, "Wes, can we help you up?"

Wes was involved in the first experiments at Yale using sand to conduct electricity, and he was delighted to be among the first to use the Yale Computer Center when it was initiated during our undergraduate days. That led him into a career in semiconductors, ten years at Bell Labs, five more in Minneapolis with Sperry Univac, two years at Gould-AMI, two years in Texas at VLSI Technologies, several years at Transwitch and two at Kenet. The last is a small company near Boston where he particularly loved the intimate working atmosphere. Earlier he had had roles in design of a small part of the lunar lander and the Mariner's power supply. He was president of a number of engineering societies.

Wes was a scientist, inventor, and engineer who was always fascinated with his work. Yet he was always good at hobbies and sports, read widely, and his children particularly remember rare times when he would really get away from his work and take them skiing or, when they lived in Pocatello, Idaho, fly-fishing on a stream on their own property.

Wes developed a heart problem that we were unaware of. He died way too soon but in a manner that he would have liked, happily at work. He leaves his beloved wife, Sheryl; daughter, Dr. Jennifer Grant, a protein chemist; son, Jonathan; and Jonathan's two children.