Brady P. Gentry Trust

The Honorable Brady Preston Gentry was born on a farm near Colfax, Texas, in 1895. He was the son of Benjamin Whitfield and Virginia Caroline (McPhail) Gentry and attended Cumberland University and Tyler Commercial College. He received a law degree and began practicing law in Tyler. In 1939 he was appointed chairman of the Texas Highway Commission.

In 1952, he was elected to the first of two terms in the United States Congress from the Third Texas District. As a member of the House committee on highways and roads, he was instrumental in shaping the legislation that launched the development of the national system of interstate and defense highways. He was a tremendous benefactor of Tyler Junior College. He helped form the Tyler Junior College District, and the old college gymnasium was renamed Gentry Gym in his honor. He died in 1966, after a lengthy illness.

The Brady P. Gentry Trust has been funding scholarships for students at Tyler Junior College since 1968. Thousands of students have been helped because of his generosity.