Gerry "Grant" East

Grant earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Physics from the University of Oklahoma and completed postgraduate work in Computer Science and Systems Analysis. He was also a published author who wrote about successfully educating at-risk youth.

Grant went on to pursue his passion for helping young people, dedicating his life to educating at-risk youth. As part of that mission, he established Freedom Ministries in Dallas, Texas, a nonprofit organization that worked with both adult and juvenile prisoners.

In 1985, he founded Texans CAN! and Dallas CAN! Academies, which grew out of his earlier ministry serving troubled youth. In 1996, the academy was among the first in Texas to receive official school designation, allowing it to award both high school diplomas and GED certificates.

Grant’s work earned numerous honors. In 1999, he received the Dallas Real Estate Council’s “Dreamer, Doer, and Unsung Hero” Award. That same year, he was invited to speak at the U.S. Department of Education’s Regional Conference on Charter Schools. Other recognitions included receiving a Barbara Bush Family Literacy grant and providing testimony before the U.S. Congress Committee on Charter Schools.

Today, the organization he founded is recognized as the largest charter school network in the state of Texas and has helped thousands of young men and women enroll in its academy programs since 1985.

Grant was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Georgia Lee Perkins. He is survived by his half-brother, John.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 4:00 p.m. at Stonebriar Funeral Home, with the family receiving guests beginning at 3:00 p.m. Interment will take place at a later date in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.