Howard Graves, 64; Retired General Led 2 Military Schools

Howard D. Graves, 64, a retired Army lieutenant general and former head of two military educational institutions, died of cancer Saturday at his home in College Station, Texas.

A native of Roaring Springs, Texas, Graves served as chancellor of the Texas A&M; University System from 1999 until his declining health forced him to resign last month.

Graves, who joined the Army in 1961 and saw combat in Vietnam, was head of the Army War College, the Army’s senior educational institution, from 1987 to 1989.

He was superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from 1991 until his retirement in 1996, winning kudos for his handling of accusations that football players had groped female cadets. He suspended three men.

During his long military career, Graves served as military assistant to former Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger and assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, working first under Navy Adm. William Crowe and then Gen. Colin L. Powell.

Graves also participated in diplomatic efforts during Operation Desert Storm, the first U.S. campaign against Saddam Hussein in Iraq.