In 1929, Venerable, of African, Cherokee, and Scottish descent, entered Caltech as a transfer student from the mathematics department at UCLA.
During his time at Caltech, Venerable was involved in several professional and social groups across campus, including the YMCA (now the Caltech Y), the American Society of Civil Engineers, the track team, and the Exhibit Day committee. He wrote for the Caltech student newspaper, The Tech, from 1929 to 1932. Venerable also served as president of Caltech’s Cosmopolitan Club, which was formed in 1925 to promote fellowship among students of different nationalities.
In 1989, the Venerable family endowed Caltech with a book fund in memory of Grant D. Venerable and his wife, Naomi T. Venerable. A campus residence was named in his honor in 2021.
