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Neighborhood mourns passing of quiet activist Gary Griffin
J. Gary Griffin, longtime treasurer of the Central West End Association and the principal organizer of key CWEA events, including the annual Balloon Glow Party in Forest Park and the Central West End House Tour, died at his home May 17, 2008 of an apparent heart attack. He was 54.
Griffin, an insurance broker, served on the board of directors of the New City School and was commissioner of Westminster/Lake Special Business District. He was born in St. Louis in 1953 and attended Washington University.
Lyda Krewson, 28th ward alderman, called Griffin “the mayor of our corner of the city.”
“He was always calm in the midst of any crisis, always the answer man,” Krewson said. “As the real leader of the House Tour and other events, he didn’t need to be front and center all the time, and he was much more of a listener than a talker in meetings, but when you really needed someone to take charge, he was always in there riding herd and making sure that things were done.”
A memorial service for Griffin was held May 24 at New City School.
Mr. Griffin is survived by his partner, Justin O’Neal, and a sister, Gloria Bailey, of Mountain Home, Ark.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the CWEA Gary Griffin Memorial Fund at Pulaski Bank at 10 Maryland Plaza, St. Louis, MO, 63108, for use in a to-be-determined neighborhood-improvement project in his honor.
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