 After 33 years of service, Grimsley retired from the active duty in 1975.Grimsley came to The Citadel in 1975 as Vice President for Administration and Finance; he was named President in 1980 upon the resignation of his predecessor, Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale.His tenure at the Citadel was marked by a return to traditional values in the corps of cadets, a significant increase in applications, major physical improvements to the campus and rising academic rankings.