60th Annual Meeting, November 1989

At this meeting, the William W. Griffin Performing Arts Award was presented. The following is a brief biography of his life, included in the program-flyer:

William W. (Billee) Griffin was born October 21, 1913, in Seattle, Washington, the first son of Mr. and Mrs. William Griffin (Lorena Waters Cox) and the brother of James S. (Jimmy) Griffin ( St. Paul's first Black deputy Cheif of Police). His parents returned to St. Paul when Billee was two years old. He attended McKinley and Cathedral Elementary schools, as well as St. Thomas Military Academy, where he played violin in the orchestra and was one of the top cadets in the freshman class of 1928.

He graduated from Mechanic Arts High School in 1932, where he participated in dramatics and was selected to play the leading man in the class play. He was denied this opportunity because the leading lady was white and the role called for him to kiss her. The administration would not allow this, and the Commisioner of Education wrote Billee's parents a letter to the effect that such a scene would not be in the best interest of the community and the schools.

Mr. Griffin attended Macalester College where he majored in dramatics and scoail work. Before, during, and after college, he was involved in interpretative dancing and other artistic activities. He was the producer, director, and choreographer of the "Brownfield Follies" of 1934 and 1935, which was held at Hallie Q. Brown Community [House], and was the most successful community production of its time. He used the talents of the young people of both St. Paul and Minneapolis and had the support of the adult community.

His young life, at age 22, was snuffed out by Spinal Meningitis, which today seldom claims a life. In his short life, in his time, he made a tremendous impact on the dramatic scene in St. Paul.