Boyce Kitredge Muir Page 268-269 Boyce Kitredge Muir is president of The Muir Company, Inc., Druggists, with general offices and a store at Grand Rapids, and operating stores at Lorain, Columbus, and  Elyria, Ohio, and Gary, Indiana. Mr. Muir is a native of Grand Rapids, born here on February 12, l888, son of John D and Martha (Kitredge) Muir. His father is also a native of Grand Rapids, born on December 22, 1861 and his mother was born at Ann Arbor, Michigan, on January 6, 1865. He was a son of John Muir (mentioned elsewhere in this work, see sketch of Andrew Muir). John D. Muir received his education in the public schools of Grand Rapids, was graduated from the Grand Rapids high school and in 1884 was graduated from the University of Michigan with the degree of Ph.G., and in 1886 engaged in the retail drug business in Grand Rapids and continued that business until in 1912 when he embarked in the manufacture of drugs, which enterprise he still continues, at 37 Ionia avenue. Mr. and Mrs. Muir are members of Park Congregational Church. They were married in 1886 and are parents of five children. The eldest of their family, Boyce Kitredge Muir was born in Grand Rapids, as heretofore mentioned, and received his preliminary education in the public schools of his native city and completed the course of study in the Grand Rapids high school. He then passed the rigorous entrance requirements and received appointment to the United States Naval Academy. He was graduated from that institution at Annapolis, Maryland, in 1908 and entered upon a service in the United States navy that lasted for eleven years, taking him through the period of the World war. After leaving the navy in 1919 he went to Chicago and there applied his engineering training in the Naval Academy and service to a position of management of the office of W. B. Richard & Company Industrial Engineers. In 1922 Mr. Muir decided to apply his wide business and industrial experience to the line of work of his family and childhood associations, by opening a retail drug store at Lorain, Ohio. The establishment of his first store in 1922, was followed in the succeeding year, 1923, by opening of similar stores at Elyria, Ohio, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, and in 1924 a further expansion was evidenced by opening of a fourth store, at Gary, Indiana. Mr. Muir is a member of the University Club of Chicago, and the Army and Navy Club of New York City. On February 28, 1911 he was united in matrimony with Miss Dorothy Catlin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was a native of Washington, D. C., and a daughter of General A. W. Catlin of the United States Marine Corps. General Catlin who has spent his life career in the service of the Marine Corps, was wounded at Belleau Woods and is still engaged in an active service in that branch of the national defense. At the Time of the marriage of his daughter to Mr. Muir he was located at Boston, Massachusetts. Mrs. Muir takes an active interest in the D. A. R. in which organization she supplements her membership with loyal service. The Muirs have two children, Bruce Catlin, born on April 2, 1919, and Kenneth Hiram, born on November 10, 1920. The parents of Boyce Kitredge Muir have four other children, as heretofore mentioned. The secon, John Keith, was born October 4, 1890. He attended the schools of his native city and was graduated in 1910 from the Grand Rapids high school, later attending the University Of Michigan and enlisted in the World war in 1918 at Little Rock, Arkansas. He is now engaged as a salesman for the Goodrich Rubber Company. His wife was Lauretta Hawley of Grand Rapids, and they have one daughter, Katherine. The daughter of this family, Martha Ruth, was born on June 17, 1895, and after graduating from the Grand Rapids high school completed a course of study at the Ypsilanti, Michigan, State Normal College. She is now secretary of the Muir Company. She also attended Northwestern University and Randolph Macon Girls School at Lynchburg, Virginia, and in her business career evidences the value of her wide educational training. The younger sons of the family are Kenneth D., born on September 20, 1897, who received his education in the Grand Rapids public and high schools, and after his graduation from high school, followed the course of his brother Boyce, and qualified for the United States Naval Academy. He has likewise completed that course of study and is now serving as a lieutenant in the United States navy, being stationed for the past two years in China. Bruce K. was born on May 4, 1899, received his education in the Grand Rapids public and high schools and also qualified for entrance and attended the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. He is now in charge of the Gary, Indiana, store of the Muir Company, Inc. He married Marian Christ of Grand Rapids.

Transcriber: Gloria Paas
Created: 21 January 2003