Richard Morehead

Dewitt C. Greer Richard Morehead

Texas was known for years as the state with an outstanding highway system, and Dewitt C. Greer was known as the "King of the Highway Builders." From his debut as a resident engineer in 1927 to his retirement in 1967, Greer provided the organizational skill, integrity and professional ability, to get Texas "out of the mud" and onto a network of national and state highways and farm-to-market roads without equal. Author Richard Morehead makes his home in Austin, and is a long-time capitol correspondent with the "Dallas Morning News." He interviewed Mr. Greer at length, as well as his associates in and out of the Texas Highway Department and was provided access to department records over the years. From this year-long study emerges a biographical sketch of a visionary young East Texan with a casual style and easy grin who spent forty years building a tough grass roots organization of district engineers and professional headquarters personnel to provide his state the best highways for the tax dollars spent. Dewitt Greer would not tolerate poor highway construction or political interference. One Texas politician told a constituent: "Ask me to do anything but try to influence the Texas Highway Department. Nobody bothers Dewitt Greer!" Although a dedicated Aggie, Mr. Greer accepted an appointment as professor of engineering at The University of Texas where he served several years. He was appointed chairman of the Texas Highway Commission in 1969.