Cadet Granger ’11 Follows In Great-Grandfather’s Footsteps Robert L. Granger ’25 loved the Institute so much that he wanted one of his three sons to share in his experience. When none of them did, he looked to his six male grandchildren to follow in his footsteps, and he even offered them a free ride to attend VMI. Much to his disappointment, all of them chose other colleges. However, the Granger legacy continues in great-granddaughter Hannah, a member of the class of 2011. The oldest of seven children from Wayne, Pennsylvania, Hannah Granger was interested in entering the military following college and thought a service academy might be a good choice for her education. Her other interest was being part of track and field
Hannah Granger discovered more about her greatgrandfather, Robert L. Granger ’25, by reading about him in his yearbook, the 1925 Bomb.
and cross country teams, and she sought a school that would foster a sense of teamwork. She found just that at VMI. “I had been accepted to West Point and was still looking at colleges,” said Bomb photo of Robert L. Granger. “My dad sug- Granger ’25. gested we visit VMI and The Citadel. I didn’t like the Institute at first; however, after giving it some thought, I decided a small school might be a good fit since I was homeschooled, and the track and cross country program sold me on VMI.” Granger has made her mark on the Institute as a distance running standout. During her fourth-class campaign, she broke seven VMI cross country records and set five records in track and field. The following year, she reset several of the records she posted during her freshman year and became VMI’s first women’s conference champion in a running event at the Big South Outdoor Championships. Last fall, she led the Keydets to a second-place finish at the Big South Cross Country Championships, the team’s best result at a conference championship meet, and she captured VMI’s first individual conference title in women’s cross country and the Runner of the Year award. (Continued at the top, left-hand column of the next page.)
Celebrity Dabney Coleman ’53 Escorts Cadet Granger to Ring Figure Cadet Hannah Granger might not have her great-grandfather’s class ring (see article above), but memories of her Ring Figure Ball are special nonetheless. Granger’s choice to walk her through the Ring was celebrity and actor Dabney Coleman, who matriculated with the class of 1953 and graduated from the University of Texas in 1954. Granger first contacted Coleman during her Rat year when athletes on scholarship were asked to reach out to their sponsors, thanking them for their generosity. Several months later, Coleman followed up with Granger, and the two have communicated a few times each semester ever since. “When the time came to think about who was going to walk me through the Ring, I made a list of people who were the most influential in my life and have had the most impact on where I am today,” said Granger. “My father and Coach [Michael] Bozeman were up on that list, but neither was able to attend. I thought of other important figures, and it hit me, that without the extreme generosity of Mr. Coleman, I wouldn’t even be at this school and enjoying so many opportunities and successes.” Granger added that she had been thinking of a way she could show Coleman how she appreciates what he has done for her with the scholarship and the confidence he has given her to perform at VMI. Asking him to escort her through the Ring seemed like just the right way. For an actor who typically plays the role of a selfish, patronizing, self-absorbed authority figure, Coleman has been quite the opposite in his relationship with Granger and in his support of the Institute. In both television and movies, he has a well deserved reputation as a fine character actor. (Article provided by VMI Communications and Marketing.)
14
Dabney Coleman ’53 and Hannah Granger at the Ring Figure Ball.
VMI ALUMNI REVIEW