Griffin, Samuel Marvin, 2002 March 15

This is a Living History interview with Sam Griffin, class of 1958, conducted by Marilyn Somers on March 15, 2002 at his office in Bainbridge, Georgia. The subject is Mr. Griffin’s life and experiences at Georgia Tech. Mr. Griffin was born in Bainbridge, Georgia on February 12, 1936 to Samuel, Sr. and Elizabeth Griffin. His mother and father were owners of the town’s local newspaper, The Bainbridge Post Searchlight. Mr. Griffin had a wonderful time growing up and was always a very good student. His father had been active in politics since he had returned from serving in World War II, and in 1954 he was elected Georgia’s governor. Mr. Griffin’s father encouraged him to attend a Georgia university because it would help him create ties with the people he would be doing business with in the future. He decided on Georgia Tech because it was the only college in Georgia with a Navy ROTC program. Once he arrived at Tech, Mr. Griffin had considerable trouble in his math courses. Dean Griffin was able to help him out by assigning him a tutor. Mr. Griffin pledged Sigma Alpha Epsilon and enjoyed the camaraderie of the fraternity. He also greatly enjoyed taking Freddie Lanoue’s drownproofing course, which really could save your life. Mr. Griffin switched his major from Industrial Engineering to Industrial Management shortly after arriving at Tech. One of his favorite professors was Professor Fred Winn. Mr. Griffin’s father was the governor during the Sugar Bowl incident of 1955. After graduation, Mr. Griffin went into the Navy where he stayed for several years until he came back to Bainbridge to take over the family paper. He was married in 1961 and they had three children. Mr. Griffin has had a very fulfilling life, and he has no regrets of choosing Georgia Tech.