Oscar Griffin Jr.

Oscar Griffin Jr.
Born
Oscar O'Neal Griffin Jr.

(1933-04-28)April 28, 1933
DiedNovember 23, 2011(2011-11-23) (aged 78)
Education
Occupationjournalist
SpousePatricia Lamb Griffin (1955-2011 his death)
Children4
Awards1963 Pulitzer Prize
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service/branchU.S. Army
Years of service1953-1955
Notes

Oscar O'Neal Griffin Jr. (April 28, 1933 – November 23, 2011) was an American journalist.

Early life and education[edit]

Griffin was born in Daisetta, Texas, and obtained his degree from the University of Texas in 1958. In 1982, he completed Harvard Business School's executive education program for Owner/President Management (OPM).

Career[edit]

Griffin was the editor of the Pecos Independent and Enterprise. During his time here, he was a reporter and editor. Prior to that time, he served in the Army in the 1950s. After graduating from the University of Texas, he worked at a number of small newspapers before his stint at the Pecos, Texas Independent and Enterprise. In 1962, he began working for the Houston Chronicle, where he was responsible for covering the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.

Griffin was assistant director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C. (1969-1974.) After coming back to Texas, he founded Griffin Well Service, an oil company in El Campo.[2]

Awards and honors[edit]

Griffin won the 1963 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting (No Edition Time), as editor at the Independent and Enterprise, for directing its investigation of the fraud scandal involving Billie Sol Estes in 1962.[7][8]

Family[edit]

Griffin was married to the former Patricia Lamb for 56 years. Together they had three daughters and a son: Gwendolyn Pryor, Amanda Ward, Marguerite Horne, and Gregory Griffin. They also had seven grandchildren.

Death[edit]

Griffin died in New Waverly, Texas, where he lived, on November 23, 2011, at the age of 78, of cancer.[9]

Publications[edit]

  • Benavidez, Roy P.; Griffin, Oscar (1986). The three wars of Roy Benavidez. San Antonio, Texas: Corona Pub. Co. ISBN 0931722586. LCCN 86070715.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Brennan, Elizabeth A.; Clarage, Elizabeth C., eds. (1999). Who's who of Pulitzer Prize Winners. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 397. ISBN 1-57356-111-8. Retrieved 2014-03-12.
  2. ^ a b "Oscar Griffin Jr. – Moody College of Communication". University of Texas at Austin. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-12.
  3. ^ "Noted & Quoted - Alumni - Harvard Business School". Harvard Business School. March 1, 2012. Retrieved 2014-03-12.
  4. ^ "Oscar O'Neal Griffin Jr. Obituary". The Courier of Montgomery County. Retrieved 2014-03-12.
  5. ^ Martin, Douglas (December 10, 2011). "Oscar Griffin Jr., 78, Pulitzer Prize Winner Who Brought Down Scheming Texas Tycoon, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-03-12.
  6. ^ "Of note: Don DeVito, Oscar Griffin Jr., Gary Speed". The Washington Post. November 29, 2011. Retrieved 2014-03-12.
  7. ^ "1963 Winners". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  8. ^ Griffin Jr., Oscar (March 1, 1962). "Tank transactions soar to $34 million". The Pecos Independent and Enterprise. Retrieved 2014-03-07. (Third in a series)
  9. ^ Martin, Douglas. "Oscar Griffin Jr., 78, Pulitzer Prize Winner Winner Who Brought Down Scheming Texas Tycoon, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 July 2013.

External links[edit]