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To honor, recognize and celebrate the life of Mr. Granville Stephen Waiters and extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends on the occasion of his passing, Monday March 22, 2021.
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WHEREAS, the members of Columbus City Council extend this resolution of expression to honor the life, legacy, and service of Mr. Granville Stephen Waiters who passed-away on Monday March 22, 2021 and
WHEREAS, Granville Stephen Waiters was born in Columbus Ohio on January 8, 1961 to Mr. Robert Sidney Waiters and Mrs. Frances Waiters: and
WHEREAS, Granville spent his formative years in Columbus, Ohio - as a teenager, who grew to be 6’11 inches tall, he became a local basketball legend - he helped lead his beloved Columbus East High School Tigers to the 1979 Class AAA State Basketball state title, where his team beat his future Ohio State teammate and NBA legend Clark Kellogg and Cleveland St. Joseph 74-65 - the game was played at St. John Arena; and
WHEREAS, Granville, after graduating from Columbus East High School, accepted a basketball scholarship from the Ohio State University where he played center from 1979-1983; playing 103 games and making 61 starts during his tenure there; he averaged 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game - he was named a team captain during the 1982-83 season and in this role he improved his average to 10.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game; his 136 blocked shots rank him seventh in program history; and
WHEREAS, Granville was taken with the 39th pick in the second round of the 1983 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers; his five year NBA career allowed him to play two seasons for the Indiana Pacers; a year with the Houston Rockets and two years with the Chicago Bulls where he was coached by Doug Collins and helped to start the Bulls' championship dynasty playing beside future NBA Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen as well as Horace Grant, John Paxson, Brad Sellers, Charles Oakley, Dave Corzine, Sam Vincent, Mike Brown, Steve Colter and others; and
WHEREAS, Granville finished his professional basketball in Europe where he played for the Spanish league as a member of FC Barcelona Basquet and Cajabilbao between 1988 and 1990; and
WHEREAS, Granville returned to Columbus after his basketball career was over; he worked as a financial consultant and was involved with a number of humanitarian efforts related to young people - he founded Granny’s Learning Centers and in seven years expanded the pre-school business to five locations; he co-founded the Coordinated Global Health Initiative and Mission to Africa and worked for the Ohio Governor’s Office for Closing the Achievement Gap as Regional Project Manager; he also worked closely with former Ohio State Senator C.J. Prentiss of Cleveland, Ohio to develop and implement an effective approach to helping young people in Ohio become better educated; he also returned to East High School to help coach his beloved high school basketball team; and
WHEREAS, Granville is survived by his wife Carrie, brothers Hilton, John and Reise; sisters Linda and Libra; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS: That this Council does hereby honor, recognize and celebrate the life of Mr. Granville Stephen Waiters and extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends on the occasion of his passing, Monday March 22, 2021.