Dr. Linton E. Grinter served the University of Florida in an extraordinary manner over a period of 21 years, some 17 years as Dean of the Graduate School. After retiring from the graduate deanship, he served as Executive vice-president for one year and chaired the University’s Ten-Year Self-Study for an additional three-year period. After retiring, he served the University ably and well as a senior academic statesman. His accomplishments in improving the academic standing of this institution at the graduate level were in large measure responsible for the outstanding reputation this institution enjoys today.

His professional career spanned more than 60 years after receiving his baccalaureate degree in civil engineering from the University of Kansas. He was the first recipient of the PhD. Degree from the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois, a department that now ranks as one of the best in the United States. In addition, Dr. Grinter was granted honorary degrees by the University of Akron and Arizona State University.

On October 2, 1972, the Engineer’s Council for Professional Development made Dr. Grinter the first recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding record of leadership and service to the engineering profession and further indicated that henceforth this award would be known as the Linton E. Grinter Distinguished Service Award.

In 1970, the King of Sweden awarded Dr. Grinter the Order of the North Star for promoting a 10-year international scholarly exchange of science faculty and students between the United States and Sweden.

The American Society for Engineering Education has conferred its three top awards upon Dr. Grinter: the Lamme Medal in 1958, election to the Engineering Education “Hall of Fame” in 1968, and the Distinguished and Unusual Service Award in 1972.

Dr. Grinter was elected President of the American Society of Engineering Education in 1953, after serving for two years as its Vice-President. He also served a two-year term as President of the Engineer’s Council for Professional Development and as National President of the Honor Society of Sigma Xi.

Two definitive studies in engineering education carried out under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education have been directed by Dr. Grinter. From 1953 to 1956, he chaired a 40-man committee which prepared a report, “Evaluation of Engineering Education,” today referred to by engineering educators as the “Grinter Report on Engineering Education.” From 1960 to 1971, Dr. Grinter was Chairman of a 25-man committee on Engineering Technology Education which prepared a paper that served as the “bible” for the rapidly expanding programs in engineering technology. Both studies were funded by the Carnegie Corporation and the National Science Foundation, and both have been instrumental in directing the course of activities in the engineering education field.

Linton E. Grinter was first elected to Chi Epsilon on November 4, 1938, at the Armour Institute of Technology (now known as Illinois Institute of Technology) at Chicago, chapter no. 2, chartered in 1923, as a Chapter Honor Member with a general number of 2167 and an individual chapter number of 165. He was elevated by the Supreme Council as the 45th National Honor Member on June 25, 1986, during the ASEE Annual Meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio.