Daniel P. Griffin Jr., advocate for the deaf
By THE DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE
Staff Writer
April 30, 2012
HOUSTON – Daniel P. Griffin Jr., 93, died April 25, 2012, in Houston.
He was preceded in death by his devoted wife of 64 years, Elizabeth;
his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Griffin; two sisters, Lucy Holmes and
Anne Griffin; and his oldest son, Dan III.
He is survived by his children Judith Usilton and her late husband,
Jim, of Trumbull, Conn., Missy Sullivan of North Hatfield, Mass., John
Griffin and his wife, Pamela, of Wellesley, Mass., Patty Decker and her
husband, Joe, of Katy, and Sheila Grady of Fort Worth; 13
grandchildren, Scott Usilton and his wife, Elena, Sara Usilton, Jenifer
Muscaro and her husband, John, Ryan Sullivan and his wife, Lindsay,
John Griffin Jr., Katie Griffin, Lily Griffin, Jake Griffin, Jessica
Hansen and her husband, Travis, Jay Decker, Elissa Johnson and her
husband, Nate, Shannon Grady and Lauren Grady; and six
great-grandchildren.
Dan graduated from Williston Academy in Easthampton in 1936 and from
Georgetown University in 1946. The intervening years he devoted to the
service of our country. Commissioned as ensign in 1940, he was
immediately assigned to the ill-fated U.S. Asiatic fleet and served as
engineer officer on the USS Isabel, the last U.S. ship to leave Java
after 93 days of combat with better equipped Japanese vessels. USS
Isabel did not meet the same sad end as most of the Asiatic fleet,
including its flagship, USS Houston.
At the height of the sinking of the U.S. merchant ships in mid-1942,
Dan served as 2nd engineer officer on several merchant vessels and as
1st engineer on several more. On Dec. 29, 1944, having served the
required time for advancement, Dan passed the examinations for his
unlimited license as chief engineer, in which capacity he continued to
serve at sea until Japan surrendered to end World War II.
In addition to the customary decorations, he was cited by the British
government for his part in the Battle of the Atlantic and by the
government of France for his participation in the Normandy invasion and
the freeing of France.
In his business career, Dan served as product marketing manager in the
Norden division of United Aircraft Corp., now United Technologies, and
in that position he was a pioneer in the field of analog-to-digital
conversion. He was in demand as a speaker at various colleges and
universities as well as to industrial engineering groups. He authored
numerous papers and was asked by McGraw Hill’s magazine “Electronics”
for permission to print one of them. The paper served as the cover
article in the April 2, 1960, issue of the magazine.
While thus employed, Dan developed an interest in the affairs of the
deaf people in our population and became influential in their society.
He was twice elected president of the International Parent
Organization, a worldwide association of 15,000 parents of deaf
children, one of three divisions of The Alexander Graham Bell
Association for the Deaf. He was named to the board of directors and to
the executive committee at the same worldwide organization.
In 1970, under the sponsorship of the Clarke School for the Deaf in
Northampton, he wrote and directed a documentary motion picture titled
“Everything But Hear.” This film was accorded awards by the National
Council on Family Relations, by the Greater Columbus Film Festival, as
well as the American Film Festival. The motion picture was selected by
the United States Information Agency and shown by them to 535 TV
outlets in 86 countries. The University of Melbourne incorporated the
film into a new program in audiology and the Smithsonian Institution
used it in a one-year public information program devoted to
rehabilitation.
The Clarke School for the Deaf ordered a supply of the documentary and
for a number of years shipped the film in response to requests from
schools and other organizations serving the needs of the deaf. Although
the school has equipped itself with additional, more recent pictures,
there are still requests for a showing.
By this time, Dan had abandoned his career in industry and, when not
engaged in advancing the benefits accorded to the deaf, he devoted his
time to two literary societies. His investiture in the Baker Street
Irregulars was as General De Merville, and he was appointed Ambassador
Cockroach in the Worshipful Company of Ailing Cockroaches.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, May 4, at 1 p.m. at St.
John Vianney Catholic Church, 625 Nottingham Oaks Trail, Houston, Texas
77079. The family will receive friends at a reception on Friday, May 4,
at 3 p.m. in the Solarium at The Carriage Inn, 1400 Katy Flewellen,
Katy, Texas 77494. Interment will be in Mountain Grove Cemetery,
Bridgeport, Conn.
Arrangements under the care of Earthman Funeral Directors, Hunters
Creek Chapel, 8303 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas 77024, 713-465-8900.
You are invited to leave written tributes and condolences for the
family by visiting our website at http://www.earthmanhunterscreek.com.
Source:
http://www.gazettenet.com/2012/04/30/daniel-p-griffin-jr-advocate-for-the-deaf