Angelus News | March 25, 2022 | Vol. 7 No. 6

TIED TO A
GREATER
PURPOSE
The quiet force
of Richard Grant,
Catholic education’s
‘true believer.’
BY STEVE LOWERY
AND PABLO KAY
In downtown LA two years ago,
some 200 people gathered for a
dinner honoring Richard Grant, the
retiring president of the Dan Murphy
Foundation.
The crowd was not, in the words of
his wife, a “collection of professionals.”
Sure, there were people who had
worked with Grant in the world of
Catholic education and philanthropy,
but there were also friends with whom
Grant had forged the unlikeliest of
connections.
One of those friends was Carlos Granados.
A graduate of Cathedral High
School who grew up in Highland Park,
Granados spent 18 years in state prison
for attempted manslaughter committed
while in college. About five years
into his sentence, a chaplain at the LA
Men’s Central Jail — where Granados’
mother volunteered — put him in
touch with Grant.
The pair began to trade letters. A
few times a year, Grant would drive
up to visit Granados at whatever state
penitentiary he was in at the time. The
two would talk about books, life, faith,
their families. He says Grant’s mentorship
and “living example” were a
godsend, helping him finish his college
studies while behind bars — and build
a foundation for the future.
“He encouraged me more through his
example, his kindness, his open-mindedness,”
said Granados. “He was the
kind of man that I could envision
wanting to be like, as opposed to all the
other people I was around on a regular
basis in prison.”
By the time he was released in 2016,
Granados had earned a bachelor’s degree
in accounting and business from
Richard Grant.
Ohio University. He went on to earn
a master’s in business administration.
Today, he’s married with two young
daughters and manages the accounting
department at a professional services
company.
“The only reason I was able to do all
that was because of Richard’s support,”
said Granados. “He made a huge impact
on my life and really helped me
18 • ANGELUS • March 25, 2022