Daniel Patrick Griffin, Jr.

Daniel P. Griffin, Jr., 93, died on April 25, 2012 in Houston, Texas. 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, Trumbull, CT; Missy Sullivan, North Hatfield, MA; John Griffin and his wife Pamela, Wellesley, MA; Patty Decker and her husband Joe, Katy, TX; and Sheila Grady, Fort Worth, TX; 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, Easthampton, MA 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 December 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 Corporation, 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, MA, he wrote and directed a documentary motion picture entitled, “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 Institute 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, 2012 at 1:00 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, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. in the Solarium at The Carriage Inn, 1400 Katy Flewellen, Katy, Texas 77494. Inurnment will be in Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport, CT.

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 www.earthmanhunterscreek.com.