| HIST |
of Sumter, South Carolina20 Harrell Road
Date Published: November 8, 2003
50TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Leslie “Les” Sr. and Neloise “Nell” Griffin are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary today, Nov. 8, 2003. They have three sons and daughters-in-law: Kerry and Jan Mandeville, Leslie “Hap” and Etna Griffin Jr. and Douglas G. and Dale Griffin, they also have seven grandchildren.
Mrs. Griffin is the former Neloise Stokes of Bishopville.
Leslie W. Griffin Sr.
Leslie Wilbur Griffin Sr., 85, died Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Neloise “Nell” Griffin, in 2008.
Born Aug. 2, 1928, in Sumter County, he was a son of the late Collin and Martha McLeod Griffin. Mr. Griffin graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor of arts degree and a masters degree in criminal justice. He was also a graduate of the FBI Academy. Mr. Griffin was Sumter’s chief of police from March 1968 to May 1984, and served as both police chief and fire chief for two years.
Mr. Griffin was a member and past president of the S.C. Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates; a life member, past president and member of the board of directors of the S.C. Law Enforcement Officers Association; a member and past president of the S.C. Police Chiefs Association; and a life member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). He was an active member of the Sumter County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council; a member of the board of directors of Sumter Crimestoppers Inc.; and also served as a past president and a member of the Sumter Chamber of Commerce and the Air Force Association.
An Air Force veteran and retiree from the Air Force Reserve, he was an aircrew member with the Air Transport Command during the Berlin Airlift. He served as an OSI special agent in Korea. He was a life member of the DAV, a member of the VFW, and was an active member and past commander of American Legion Post No. 15.
He was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church and a member of the Faholo Sunday School class for 58 years.
Surviving are three sons, Kerry Mandeville (Jan) of Columbia, Leslie “Hap” Jr. (Etna) and Douglas Griffin (Mary Dale), both of Sumter; a sister, Allene Ross (George) of Sumter; a brother, John Griffin of Sumter; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Trinity United Methodist Church with the Rev. Dr. Reginald Thackston officiating. Burial will be in Evergreen Memorial Park cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Terry Griffin, Harold Johnson, Joseph M. Floyd, Eugene Spann, Bruce Griffin and the Rev. Richard Hampton.
Honorary pallbearers will be members of the Faholo Sunday School class, and retired and active duty members of the Sumter Police Department.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home and other times at his son Hap’s home, 2740 Fenimore Drive.
Memorials may be made to Destination Trinity at Trinity United Methodist Church and to American Legion Post No. 15.
Online condolences may be sent to www.sumterfunerals.com.
Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, 221 Broad St., Sumter, is in charge of the arrangements.
Posted in Obituaries on Friday, January 3, 2014
Leslie W. Griffin ✦ 1928 - 2013: Former police chief leaves legacy of service
Leslie Griffin waves as grand marshal of the 2009 Sumter Christmas parade with his grandchildren by his side.
Few people in the history of Sumter have been as dedicated to the protection and well-being of the local community as Les Griffin.
Leslie Wilbur Griffin, who served for more than 16 years as Sumter's chief of police, died Tuesday at the age of 85, leaving a legacy of community service throughout his life.
Born near Pinewood in 1928, Griffin enlisted in the Air Force - then known as the Army Air Corps - shortly after his 17th birthday, near the end of World War II, serving both during the Berlin Airlift in 1947 and during the Korean War.
His military ties, which also included the Air Force reserves, would continue after his active-duty status as a life member of the Disabled American Veterans, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a commander for the American Legion Post 15 in Sumter.
For most Sumterites, however, he will be remembered as a long-serving law enforcement officer who helped protect the community.
In his memoir, The Peacekeepers, Griffin pointed out that as a 21-year-old man, he already knew what direction he wanted his career to head.
"I had always wanted to get into police work," Griffin wrote. "I had applied by mail to the chief of police to become a member of the Sumter Police Department. The response I received was to get there as soon as I could, that there was a job waiting for me."
Griffin would serve in various positions with the Sumter Police Department during his 34-year tenure with the department. Starting in 1950, he would serve Sumter as a patrolman, detective, shift lieutenant, captain of detectives and as assistant police chief. In 1968, Griffin would become the police chief, a position he would hold until 1984.
For about two years during that tenure, Griffin would expand his duties and be known as the director of public safety for Sumter, as he served the dual role as both police chief and chief of the Sumter Fire Department. After his tenure with the local police, Griffin would also serve two years as a deputy U.S. marshal.
"He was the finest man I ever met," said fellow former Sumter Police Chief Harold Johnson, who served as head of the department from 1990-2001. Johnson said he viewed Griffin as a mentor, pointing out that Griffin hired him to the local force despite vision impairment in one of his eyes. "He gave me a chance when no one else would."
Johnson described Griffin as having a lifelong commitment to the Sumter law-enforcement community, extending well beyond his retirement. Johnson also said Griffin was one of the fairest men he ever knew, always taking the time to listen to both sides of any dispute, whether it involved officers within the department or suspects in an investigation.
"He never jumped the gun. He never jumped to conclusions," Johnson said, adding he often turned to Griffin for advice during his career. "I tried hard to do it like him. He set the example for many police officers."
"He was a progressive thinker," said Sumter Police Chief Russell F. Roark III, noting Griffin's involvement in many professional organizations that support law enforcement. "Griffin shepherded in the modern era of law enforcement, and we still use some of the strategies he developed today."
Sgt. Ken Nesbitt, the department's longest-serving officer who was hired by Griffin, said the former chief set a strong standard for the police force with his professionalism and expectations.
"He expected to see an officer who worked downtown standing there each morning with your hat on," Nesbitt said, referring to the policy for uniformed officers.
"His commitment to law enforcement was more than just a commitment to the rule of law," his son, Doug Griffin, said. "His commitment was also to the men and women who wore the uniform."
Doug Griffin said he was proud to see firsthand the impact his father would have on Sumter.
"He had compassion for people, and often I've had people tell me they were headed down the wrong path, and he turned them around and steered them in the right direction," Doug Griffin said. "It was an honor to have someone of his stature as my father, and I've always tried to live up to his expectations and live up to the life of service that he achieved."
The family is receiving friends today from 6 to 8 p.m. at Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Trinity United Methodist Church.
- Braden Bunch
Posted in Local news, News on Friday, January 3, 2014 [3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13] |
1928 - 2013 (85 years)
