JOHN DUDLEY GRIFFIN

Born: May 5, 1940
Died: October 24, 2011

John D. Griffin was born in Lewiston, Maine, son of Lewis John Griffin and June Henrietta Lovelace Griffin. He graduated from Lewiston High school.

At Yale, John (nicknamed "Jack" in the Banner) was a resident of Silliman College. He was a member of the Elizabeth Club, the Yale Political Union and Dwight Hall. He was an English Honors Major and was awarded the Wrexham Prize. Following graduation, he spent a year in the Master of Arts in Teaching Program before deciding to go to law school instead.

John received his J.D. from Boston University in 1966 and returned to Maine to practice law with an Auburn firm. He started his own firm in January 1973 specializing in representing clients injured on the job to obtain their workers' compensation awards. By the time of his retirement in 2006, the firm had grown to fill his office building.

John married Nancy Whipple, a graduate of Wheaton College, in June 1964. Their son, Brad was born in 1970.

John was well known for his passion for classic automobiles, including Packards, Kaiser-Frazers, Studebakers, and Chryslers. He also enjoyed world travel, especially the United Kingdom and Europe. He and Nancy wintered many seasons in Southwest Florida.

Because his father was a veteran of the China-Burma-India Theatre in World War II, John joined the Pinetree Basha China-Burma-India Veterans Association in 1997 as an enthusiastic associate member. He served as Commander since the year 2000, where he brought new ideas and knowledge of military procedure and CBI Theatre that were implemented to the enhancement of the meetings and organization. One of his achievements was the voice recording of each veteran as he was being interviewed. These archival recordings were donated to the Institute on World War II and The Human Experience, in Tallahassee, FL, where donations in John's honor may be sent.

It was under his leadership that the CBI Monument was purchased, installed and then dedicated on September 30, 2006, at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Augusta. John was in touch with many of the World War II museums in Maine and other states. He encouraged those who have historical artifacts, before they are lost, to contact these museums. John will be remembered for his outstanding contribution to the CBI veterans of the Pine Tree Basha of Maine.

John died unexpectedly on October 24, 2011, at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. He is survived by his wife, Nancy W. Griffin of Auburn, his mother, June L. Griffin of Lewiston, his brother Richard L. Griffin of Sharon, MA, his son, Bradford W. Griffin of Methuen, MA and grand-daughters, Amelia, Julia and Sophia Griffin, also of Methuen, MA; and his nephews Patrick Griffin of Norwood, MA and Ryan Griffin of Allston, MA. His father, Lewis J. Griffin, predeceased him in 1998.

In lieu of flowers the family wished that donations may be made in his memory to the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience, Florida State University, Room 4091 BEL, 113 Collegiate Loop, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2200.