Oral history with Mr. W.S. Griffin

              Oral history with Mr. W. S. Griffin
This oral history is provided through a cooperative project of University of Southern Mississippi Libraries and USM's Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage.
Funding provided by a National Leadership Grant for Libraries from the Institute for Museum and Library Services
The transcript is presented here for reference purposes only. Interviews in this collection are protected by copyright. PERMISSION TO PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED from the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. Please call ( 601) 266- 4574 for more information.
Biography
Mr. Wilbur Scott Griffin was born on October 15, 1913, near Mantee, Mississippi, in Webster County to Virgil Homer Griffin and Martha Elizabeth Davis Griffin.
He was reared on his parents' farm and graduated from Cumberland High School in 1933. After working in the Civilian Conservation Corp for one year, he enrolled in Wood Junior College at Mathiston, Mississippi. In 1936 he accepted a position as a teacher and coach at Woodland High School in Chickasaw County. While teaching at Woodland, Mr. Griffin continued his education at the University of Mississippi. He received his B. A. degree in 1940.
Mr. Griffin became principal of Walthall Elementary School in Webster County in 1938. He left this position in 1942 to join the U. S. Navy, and he served in the armed forces until 1945. Upon his return to Mississippi, he began his master's degree program at the University of Mississippi and worked on campus as a vocational counselor to veterans. In 1946 he became assistant registrar at Ole Miss, an office he kept until 1949 when he became superintendent of the Springhill Consolidated School District.
In 1952 Mr. Griffin joined the Mississippi State Department of Education as director of the state's school lunch program. In 1958 he became director of the Division of Administration and Finance at the state department of education, and in 1974 he was appointed Assistant State Superintendent of Education. He retired in 1979.
Mr. Griffin is a Mason and a member of the American Legion. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Association of School Administrators, the American School Food Service Association, and the Mississippi Association of Educators. He is married to the former Myrtle Oswalt of Webster County, Mississippi, and they are the parents of two daughters. Mr. Griffin is a member of the Broadmoor Baptist Church. He and his wife currently reside in Jackson.
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