Photo courtesy of George and Susan Grimes
Mem’ries Sweet and Gratitude Sweeter
It is not every day that one, by chance or luck, makes the acquaintance of people whose commitment to the success of an institution over decades renders them practically an institution in themselves, but that was exactly my experience when meeting George and Susan Grimes on Monday afternoon. Mrs. Grimes inherited her enthusiasm for all things purple from her mother, who attended TCU and worked as dorm receptionist at Colby Hall. As for Mr. Grimes, he was a first-generation graduate of TCU, class of 1967. Mrs. Grimes, having been raised on Stadium Drive, sums up their history with the school succinctly: “we’ve been in the neighborhood for a while.” Needless to say, they’re still here.
Susan and George are a happy couple; they exude satisfaction in life with every smile and syllable. In this regard, they remind one of those interviewees before the closing credits of When Harry Met Sally—precisely the kind of “elder” couple a younger one may aspire to be.
As for when George met Susan, it was on a blind date in 1961. Susan recalls that during TCU’s humbler years the student body “was 4,000 people, classes cost $15 an hour, and (football) tickets were really cheap.” According to her, a TCU game was also a much more formal affair than now: “The girls all wore dresses and heels, and the boys wore actual suits.” The team was not particularly good at that time, except for a couple seasons early on, when Bob Lily played for them—Lily actually sat in front of Susan in English class, and she remembers him “being so big I couldn’t see the teacher!” But win or lose, Susan insists “everyone was happy to be there.”
George and Susan Grimes upon their engagement in 1962.
Photo courtesy of George and Susan Grimes
George and Susan married in 1964; when graduating from TCU with a Bachelor of Business Administration, George found employment that took them to Houston, then Austin, and finally New Jersey. During these years, the Grimes family observed the successes and failures of TCU’s athletic teams from afar. But when their daughter, Patricia, attended TCU in the mid-90s and served as a cheerleader, the Grimes returned to the Amon Carter with enthusiasm. (Interestingly, during her tenure as a Horned Frog, Patricia lived in Colby, the same residence hall her grandmother worked at as a receptionist!)
Until 2000, George and Susan supported TCU athletics through good times and bad (often bad). The turnaround came with the arrival of Gary Patterson as TCU’s head football coach. Of Patterson, the Grimes have nothing but the warmest sentiments and deepest gratitude. “I pray Gary and Kelsey stay around,” Susan says. “They’ve done so much for Fort Worth. Once Gary came, everything changed.” Though the Grimes don’t claim to be good friends with the Pattersons, Susan smiles when recalling that, were they to meet in a public place or at a benefit, Gary would always say “Hey Susan, hey George!”
With TCU’s success, the Grimes graduated from “fans,” as George puts it, to “fanatics,” as Susan does (this speaks to the unique playfulness of their relationship; when I asked what was George’s involvement with TCU athletics, he was quick to say, with a wry smile: “I’m her chauffeur”). Though supportive of TCU, win or lose, George points out that “as you win more, more people want to get involved.” And when it comes to getting involved, George and Susan Grimes lead by example.
George and Susan Grimes at a TCU football game
Photo courtesy of George and Susan Grimes
Thus, the Grimes have spent nearly a decade following the Frogs wherever they tread, on whichever field (or court). In the last nine years, they both have attended every away game TCU played, with the exception of one (when George wasn’t feeling well, and the weather was cold and rainy; Susan still went). A particular highlight for George and Susan was taking their grandson to Omaha, Nebraska, to see the Frogs’ baseball team play in the College World Series (this grandson has also expressed interest in attending TCU).
Similarly, the Grimes shared fond memories of going to New York to support the Frogs’ basketball team at the National Intercollegiate Tournament several years ago—Susan considers the trip one of her most cherished Horned Frog memories, to be able to see her favorite team “in Madison Square Garden, and I’d never been to Madison Square Garden. But just to be there, in New York, and see the Frogs was a favorite experience of mine.”
At a TCU basketball game.
Photo courtesy of George and Susan Grimes
But ultimately, when I ask them their favorite memories of TCU athletics, they both agree on the Rose Bowl (January 1, 2011) and the Alamo Bowl (January 2, 2016). George recounts the latter being cold and rainy, and while the Frogs were shut out by more than 30 points at the half, “many of our friends decided to go home. We stayed. And the rest wish they did too.”
These days, George and Susan enjoy hosting their family for TCU events. During Thanksgiving, if there is a home game, they have 12 tickets—for themselves, their three daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren.
George and Susan with their grandson Ryder in Omaha to watch TCU in the CWS.
Photo courtesy of George and Susan Grimes
We finish our discussion with Susan stressing the importance of gratitude and community. She served on the Fort Worth Alumni Board for five years, and was chair of the TCU Alumni Volunteer Committee, with which she still works. The Grimes became involved with the Alumni Association during a bus trip to SMU, forging new friendships for which she is grateful. George and Susan want to say “they are especially thankful for the wonderful staff at the Alumni Association and the Frog Club, as well as Gary and Kelsey Patterson, who took boys and raised them into great men. They really cared about the kids!”
Their sense of service, commitment to tradition, and implicit regard of TCU as one vast extended family led them to help host Family First Dinner every August for incoming freshmen. Of this, Susan says it “is the best time ever for us to visit with twenty or so students and talk about our experiences at TCU. We have participated for about 4 years! Of course, Covid prevented us from doing this the last two.” She is hopeful that this August, she will be able to continue that tradition, opening her home to another crew of twenty or so first-year Frogs.
In 2019, George and Susan hosted a group of incoming freshman from Waits Hall at their house for the Family First Dinner.
Photo courtesy of George and Susan Grimes
Let us hope TCU continues to foster families with the same loyalty and enthusiasm for our school as the Grimes so abundantly possess.
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