Griffin, George Clayton, 1896-1990.

George Clayton Griffin (1896-1990) entered the Georgia School of Technology in 1914 as a member of the Sub-Freshman (Subapprentice) Class. He served in the U.S. Navy in World War I and received the B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1922. For the next seven years he taught and coached at Georgia State College for Men in Tifton, GA and the McCallie School in Chattanooga, TN. He returned to Tech in 1930 as Assistant Dean of Men, Track Coach, and Mathematics Instructor. Except for subsequent naval service in WWII he remained at Tech until 1964. During his years at Tech he played football under Coach John Heisman and played and coached for William Alexander. He was also a track and cross country athlete and he subsequently coached cross country until well after his retirement. He was named Dean of Men in 1946, received the M.S. in Industrial Management from Tech in 1950, and retired in 1964, at which time he was named Emeritus Dean of Students. Dean Griffin was known as "Mr. Georgia Tech" and was truly dedicated to the school. The best friend the students had at Tech, he established and managed an Emergency Loan fund to help students in financial trouble. He started (with his own money) Tech's Central placement Office. An unparalleled raconteur, he addressed countless Alumni Club meetings, chaired the "Sackbrain Club," sponsored golf tournaments, and maintained an office full of Tech related photographs and objects. After his retirement he operated a job placement service for alumni over forty, again, out of his own pocket. In addition to his photograph collection, Griffin's papers and memorabilia are also in the Georgia Tech Archives, Accession no. 90-08-03.