Benjamin Woodward Griffith, Jr.

Benjamin Woodward Griffith, Jr., 5300 Zebulon Road, Macon, passed away on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. The son of the late Ben W. Griffith Sr. and Mary Norman Griffith, he was born March 30, 1922, in Lanett, Alabama. He grew up in Macon and graduated from Lanier High and Mercer University. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of fifty years, Betty Irvine Griffith. He was an active member of the Northminster Presbyterian Church, serving as a trustee and on various committees. He enjoyed teaching in the Sunday School at all the churches in which he held membership as an adult. He served in the Pacific during World War II as a naval officer aboard a landing ship for tanks, and his ship was severely damaged in the invasion of Luzon in the Philippines. When the war ended, he was assigned to China, transporting Chinese Nationalist troops aboard LSTs to a port near the Manchurian border to oppose the Communist forces. After the war he enrolled at Northwestern University where he earned the Degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy, majoring in English. He began his teaching career at Tift College in Forsyth in 1950, and in 1955 joined the faculty at Mercer University, where he became chairman of the English Department and Pollock Professor of English. He remained at Mercer for fifteen years, moving to the University of West Georgia in 1970, where he served as Dean of the Graduate School from 1973 until his retirement in 1987. One of his great joys in retirement was meeting with former students. Throughout his teaching career and retirement, he was a prolific writer of scholarly books, articles, and book reviews in newspapers and quarterly reviews. He was co-author of "Essentials of English" and "Essentials of Writing," textbooks which have been published in revised editions through three decades. He was also interested in history. His biography, "McIntosh and Weatherford: Creek Indian Leaders," was first published in 1988 by the University of Alabama Press and was continuously reprinted in paperback, the last in 2008. A critic in the Journal of American History wrote: "This book is a must for all interested in the personal meaning of U.S. Indian removal policy." While living in Carrollton, Georgia, he wrote a history of that city. In 2007 his play "Christmas Eve Among Friends," was produced by Jim Crisp at Theatre Macon. He and his wife, Betty, particularly enjoyed their annual international trips for 28 years, most often visiting London for a week of nightly theater, followed by another ten days of motoring in Europe. He was active on a number of boards, including Mercer university's trustees, the Georgia Humanities Council, the Georgia Supreme Court-appointed Board to Determine Fitness for Practicing Law, the Board of Selections of the Georgia Women of Achievement, and the Rotary Club's state board to award scholarships and grants for international study. He is survived by his daughter, Eugenia Griffith DuPell and son-in-law Brian of Stuart, Florida, and his son, Benjamin W. Griffith III and daughter-in-law Teresa of Macon as well as seven grandchildren: Sarah (Roger) Colon, Jason DuPell, Lindsey DuPell, Wesley (Betsy) Griffith, Casey (Quinn) Connally, Travis (Jordan) Griffith, and Jessica (Joshua) Hale and eight great-grandchildren. He is predeceased by his brother, James Norman Griffith. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the "Ben and Betty Griffith Endowed Fund at Mercer University," 1501 Mercer University Drive, Macon, Georgia 31207. Funeral services will be held at 11:00AM on Thursday, June 16, 2016 at Northminster Presbyterian Church with the Reverend Paul Evans officiating. Burial will be private in Riverside Cemetery. Family will greet friends between 5:30-7:00PM on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 at Hart's Mortuary at the Cupola, 6324 Peake Road, Macon. Register online at www.hartsmort.com. Hart's Mortuary at the Cupola has charge of arrangements.