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IN MEMORIAM
DEWITT C. GREER
DeWitt C. Greer, professor emeritus of civil engineering,
died on November 17, 1986. He was 84. He was buried in the Texas State
Cemetery.
Professor Greer was born on July 27, 1902, in Shreveport,
Louisiana. He received a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University
in 1923.
Professor Greer served as the chief administrator for
the Texas Department of Transportation for 27 years. He oversaw the
$4.5 billion post World War II expansion of the state's highway system.
The project was considered the most ambitious roadway construction effort
undertaken in the world at the time. Under his administration, more
than 50,000 miles were added to the existing 26,000 miles of highways
and more than 40,000 miles of farm roads were constructed.
Professor Greer joined the faculty of The University
of Texas at Austin in 1968 and taught until 1972. He was honored for
his many achievements by professional engineering associations and the
state. Scholarships and grants were established in his name at both
TAMU and UT Austin.
Professor Greer was a member of the Texas Highways and
Public Transportation Commission for twelve years. In 1969 Governor
Preston Smith appointed him chairman of the commission. The state highway
department headquarters was named after him when he retired from state
service in 1981.
<signed>
John R. Durbin, Secretary
The General Faculty
Biographical sketch prepared by Teresa Palomo
Acosta and posted on the Faculty Council web site on November
17, 2000. Additional biographical sources can be found in the
Barker Texas History Center and the New
Handbook of Texas, Texas State Historical Association,
1996.
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