Grady Gammage (August 5, 1892 – December 22, 1959) was an

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n educator. He served as the president of Northern Arizona University from 1926 to 1933 and as the president of Arizona State University from 1933 to 1959. In 1958, he led Arizona State College’s victorious Proposition 200 campaign in the state legislature for a name change to Arizona State University.

Gammage Auditorium The Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium is a multipurpose performing arts center at 1200 South Forest Avenue at East Apache Boulevard in Tempe, Arizona, within the main campus of Arizona State University (ASU). The auditorium, which bears the name ...

at ASU was named in his honor.

Biography

Born in Southwest Arkansas, Gammage supported himself through grade school after his mother's untimely death. He became a top debater in high school, and while a student attendee at court trials, Gammage caught the attention of a clerk who promoted him as a deputy. In 1912, Gammage suffered a bout of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

that forced him to move west. Settling in

, he found employment as a groundskeeper for the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

. He enrolled as a freshman there and served as a campaign manager for the

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...

initiative. In 1916, he began his graduate studies and worked part-time for ''The Post''. In 1918, Gammage shifted his studies from law to school administration and, in 1922, he completed a master's degree. After graduation, Gammage accepted the position of superintendent at

Winslow Winslow may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Winslow, Buckinghamshire, England, a market town and civil parish * Winslow Rural District, Buckinghamshire, a rural district from 1894 to 1974 United States and Canada * Rural Municipality of Winslo ...

Public Schools. During the summer, he earned extra money teaching sessions at Northern Arizona State Teachers College in Flagstaff. In 1925, Gammage was appointed vice-president of the college and he became president the following year. During his tenure, Gammage raised the standards of achievement for students and faculty, improved campus morale, and developed a sound relationship between campus and community. In 1927, the college awarded him an honorary LL.D. Gammage was a tireless promoter of the college and, in 1928, the school received official recognition as a Class A four-year teacher training institution and a new name — Arizona State Teacher's College at Flagstaff. In 1930, ASTC was the first school in the Southwest to be granted full accreditation. As economic conditions worsened during

The Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, Gammage made it possible for students suffering "hard times" to pay their expenses through barter; dairy cows and potatoes underwrote room and board. In 1933, Gammage resigned the presidency at ASTC when he accepted the position of president of Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe (later Arizona State University), a post he held until his death in December 1959.

References

External links

Biographical information from NAU

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gammage, Grady 1892 births 1959 deaths Presidents of Arizona State University Northern Arizona University faculty Arizona State University faculty People from Flagstaff, Arizona People from Phoenix, Arizona People from Prescott, Arkansas University of Arizona alumni 20th-century American academics