William J. Griggs was remembered Saturday as a pioneer civic leader and longtime educator who was dedicated to his profession.

The man for whom the recreation center on Glenn Robertson Drive is named died Saturday at Hospice LaGrange. He was 91.

“My dad was a father to the community,” said his son, Bruce Griggs. “A lot of people looked up to him as a father. I had to share him with a lot of people, and that was OK. He loved his country and he loved his family and he loved his children. To me, he was just Daddy.”

William Griggs, a Jones County native, moved to LaGrange in 1950 as a teacher at East Depot High School. In 1951, he was named principal of Thomastown Elementary School, later called Northwest Primary School. He worked in the LaGrange City School system for 31 years, retiring in 1981.

“I had the highest regard for him,” said Troup County school board Chairman Daves Nichols, who worked in the city school systems’ administration while Griggs was there. “He had a heart for the children and the staff. He was soft-spoken and easy-going, but he was committed to the task. He was a fine man and a good and trusted friend. He’ll be missed.”

Griggs also was a civic leader in LaGrange. As a Red Cross volunteer, he was credited with organizing blood drives in the city’s black community in the 1950s. He also volunteered with the American Heart Association, Boy Scouts of America and the United Way, where he was the first black board member. In 1992, he was named the grand marshal of the annual Sweet Land of Liberty Parade for Youth on July 4.

Griggs graduated from Fort Valley State College and received a master’s degree from Tuskegee University.

George Moore, a retired educator and LaGrange city councilman, was responsible for naming the Griggs recreation center in his friend’s honor. Moore said Saturday that he followed in Griggs’ footsteps, attending the same college and graduate school. The two were active in the same church, Warren Temple United Methodist Church.

“We would ride to homecoming at Fort Valley together every year,” Moore said. “I’ve known him all my life. I would sit behind him in church. We led a Bible study together. He lived a good life.”

In addition to his son, Griggs is survived by his wife, the former Rubye Cleveland.

“This is not a sad time for my family – this is a celebration of his life,” Bruce Griggs said. “LaGrange was good to my daddy.”

Lakes-Dunson-Robertson Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.

Jennifer Shrader may be reached at jshrader@ lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.