Home | Message Boards | Classifieds | East Kentucky News | Site Map

For some reason Griff and I didn't hit it off too well when we first met at Viper High School (VHS).  He was kind of a bully and would push a lot of us around.  And to my thinking, he particularly liked to pick on me.  I finally got fed up with this, so one afternoon when Griff was walking home from school, I waited for him on the road near the swinging bridge that provided a river crossing to Sandy Beach.  It was here that we developed a healthy respect for each other and the beginning of a great friendship, but not the buddy type.  We always seemed to be in competition with each other, especially on the volleyball court, we never were on the same side, our battles at the net were something fierce.  

Griff was always his own man and seemed to resent taking orders from the establishment or anyone else.  He demonstrated this by neglecting or refusing to turn in his school work papers, even though he had completed the assignment and in many instances had helped other members of the class with their assignments.  He just wasn¹t interested in getting a better grade than that of his class mates and I honestly don't think that any of us or even the teachers realized this.

After graduation from VHS, Griff and I went our separate ways and lost track of each other until I discovered his name and address while working on the VHS Reunion program.  I immediately made contact with Griff and Lelia and on my visit to Florida in February of 1989, I made it a point to visit Griff at his home in Lakeland, Florida and to spend a night and day with him.  It was very difficult at first to recognize each other after almost fifty years.  Our reunion was most enjoyable and I consider it my highlight of the year.  As we chattered and reminisced for most of the night and day I found Griff's life story to be one of intrigue and great interest.

After graduation Griff enlisted in the US Air Force and his tests revealed a very high IQ, which qualified him to be assigned to the intelligence division of the Office of Special Service (OSS), now known as the CIA.  The Air Force tried to send Griff to Office Candidate School (OCS) but Griff, true to his colors, refused to be a commissioned officer, but did accept the non-com status as a tech-Sergeant.  Lelia always thought he was a p.f.c.  In fact there's much about Griff's duty that Lelia didn't know.  Griff served as a security specialist and was involved in the development and maintenance of security for the Manhattan Project in Chicago, where the Atomic bomb was developed.

He also coordinated security operations at Las Almos, New Mexico and performed numerous other assignments world wide.  His duties required a lot of under cover work and his clothing attire ranged from civilian clothes of various types to high ranking military officers uniforms.  Griff was acquainted with President Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor, also with President Harry S. Truman and his wife Bess.  Griff was with  President Truman when the decision was made to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and was involved in the security of the missions.

Griff married his high school sweetheart, Lelia Campbell, they were blessed with six children and fourteen grandchildren.  In civilian life Griff and Lelia operated an Electrical contract business and a mail-order "How To" business.  They produced and sold books on every subject from income tax to how to win at poker.  Griff was a genius on any profession or subject that interested him.

Griff was stricken with throat cancer over 20 years ago.  His voice and vocal cords were removed, but he learned esophageal speech in record time and was able to talk so well that most people didn't know that he was a Larynjectomee.

In 1988 Griff and Leila planned to attend the VHS Reunion, but at the last moment he was again struck with cancer of the prostate and ended up in the hospital.  Griff died from cancer in August of 1989.

During my communications with Griff by letter and telephone over the two years and my brief visit at his home, I found him to be a great family man with a loving wife and children who loved and respected him.  He was also a passionate, kind and gentle person who would go out of his way to help others to improve their station in life.

My findings were confirmed by a card I read which was sent to Griff from a prisoner on death row at the State Prison.  This card was given to Griff's daughter, Mickey, who does social work for the prison system. It read as follows:
"Your reflections through Mickey, show you¹re a wonderful man.  As you know this comes from a fallen man.  I pray your health returns and your strength remains to grow.  So as I struggle once more to stand, I want you to know before I go I wish you well you wonderful man.  Thoughts of you refresh my soul, like gentle waves refresh the sand. From no one you know, but who wants you to know . . . life is a challenge and you've got the floor.  Good day, Sir.
        Signed, Plain Jimmy"

Most of us remember Griff as a bully and we never took the time to understand why.  We had no way of knowing that his parents refused to have his long wavy hair cut until he was seven years old.  The brutal teasing and harassment from the school children and others, because of his appearance as a very young boy, is considered to be the primary cause of his antagonistic attitude toward his fellow students.  Now you know the rest of the story.

We will probably never know how much Griff's service to our country has assured the good life we now enjoy.  Hopefully this memorial will give you some insight and better understanding of one of our own while he was among us.

With a very heavy heart, my last words  to Griff when I embraced him and said good-by on that Sunday morning, knowing full well that I would never see my good friend alive again was, "Griff, just what was our problem when we first met at VHS?"  And without any change of expression on his face, he replied, "You had a car and I wore overalls."