Gresham, Earl T., Sr. (1892-1980) | Sargeant Memorial Collection
Name: Gresham, Earl T., Sr. (1892-1980)
Historical Note: Earl Thomas Gresham, Sr. was born on November 12, 1892 in Galveston, Indiana. He married Kathryne Wells on July 5, 1916 in Wilson, North Carolina. In 1916, Gresham established E. T. Gresham Company. He was a past president of the Norfolk General Hospital, United Communities Fund, and Norfolk Rotary Club, among others. Gresham was also director for various organizations including Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, Tidewater Virginia Development Council, Norfolk Foundation, and Medical Center Hospitals. He received the First Citizen Award from the Cosmopolitan Club of Norfolk in 1951, Keystone Award from the Boys Club of Norfolk in 1962, and the Paul Harris Award from the Norfolk Rotary Club in 1978. He married Elizabeth Graves Plack on May 30, 1969 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Gresham died on May 31, 1980 in Norfolk, Virginia and was buried at Forest Lawn Mausoleum in Norfolk, Virginia.