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Donald Warren Giffin

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Donald Warren Giffin

Birth	:	5 Jul 1927 Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, USA
Death	:	3 Sep 2009 College Park, Prince George's County, Maryland, USA
Burial	:	Pine Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate	:	43.3456001, -83.8555984
Plot	:	7 East
Description	:	University prof and administrator who spent most of his adult life on the East Coast. At the age of 82, Don Giffin died at 3:30 am on September 3, 2009. He had what some would consider an idyllic childhood, growing up in Goleta when just a few hundred people inhabited the village and a thousand more in the whole valley. His parents moved there in 1928 at the very beginning of the Ellwood oil field boom. Don's father, Robert O. Giffin, founded Western Welding, a shop that services the local oil, agriculture and construction industries. It is the oldest operating business... Read More	University prof and administrator who spent most of his adult life on the East Coast. At the age of 82, Don Giffin died at 3:30 am on September 3, 2009. He had what some would consider an idyllic childhood, growing up in Goleta when just a few hundred people inhabited the village and a thousand more in the whole valley. His parents moved there in 1928 at the very beginning of the Ellwood oil field boom. Don's father, Robert O. Giffin, founded Western Welding, a shop that services the local oil, agriculture and construction industries. It is the oldest operating business in Goleta. Gladys and Bob Giffin knew the Goleta valley was paradise on Earth. Through hard work and frugal saving, they purchased commercial property in old town Goleta as well as 10 acres of farmland where they grew walnuts and then lemons. More importantly, it was where they grew a family, with Don's two brothers, uncles, aunts, cousins as well as a whole community of early Goleta friends. The themes of Don's life that he inherited were simple living, education, hard work and the immense value of people. He graduated from Santa Barbara High School in 1945. He arrived in boot camp the day the Japanese surrendered. He served 13 months in the Navy and honed his typing skills producing the mustering out papers for thousands of active duty servicemen and women. He graduated from UCSB State College in 1950 up on the Riviera campus where he met Betty Fobair McDermott. They were married that year. They went onto Claremont where he attended the Graduate School and she taught high school home economics. A two year stint followed for both of them, teaching in Honolulu's King Kamehameha school. They moved to Washington, D.C. where Don successfully completed the training to become a Foreign Service officer. Just short of being commissioned, he resigned after considering that a career spent as a lower level diplomat stationed in third world countries just wasn't that appealing. Yet, he would continue to use the skills of diplomacy throughout life. Don and Betty's child, Bruce, was born in 1955. The marriage ended and Don went back to graduate school at Vanderbilt, getting his PhD in history. He met Page Lacey there and they were married in 1959. In the mid '60s, they had two children, Dan and Tina. He was offered a position at the University of Maryland in 1963 in the History Department with some administrative duties. The teaching was important to him. He had lifelong friendships with some of the graduate students who studied under him. However, the leadership and organizational skills he had developed turned into a love of administration. Don moved up through the ranks at the University. The pinnacle of his career was being the Director of Admissions. He loved it. Don took a strong interest in the academic growth of people and the institution's growth. He did his best to combine the two. He eventually retired out of the University system in 1991. He contributed to his community of College Park, serving two terms as City Councilman and 22 years as a Housing Authority Commissioner. He practiced consensus building in all arenas. Yet, somehow you always knew Don's bottom line position when push came to shove. In 1980, his marriage to Page ended. He began working hard on his own personal growth and reached out to his children and his friends. Over time he developed the skill of giving whoever he was with his full undivided attention. As many friends said, 'the man knew how to do lunch!' The focus of his life became people. Whether it was researching lost generations of family, meeting far flung cousins, or simply chatting with his grandchildren, his primary interest was people. Don's survivors include his former spouses, his three children, their spouses, his five grandchildren, numerous nephews and nieces as well as multiple close cousins around the country. A memorial celebration of his life will be held 4 pm, September 19, 2009 in Santa Barbara at Bruce and Kelley Giffin's home. For further information, contact Bruce Giffin at 331.6030.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Donald Warren Giffin's memorial?
Donald Warren Giffin's memorial is located at: Pine Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport, Saginaw County, USA.
When did Donald Warren Giffin death?
Donald Warren Giffin death on 3 Sep 2009 in College Park, Prince George's County, Maryland, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Donald Warren Giffin's memorial?
Latitude: 43.3456001
Longitude: -83.8555984

Family Members:

Parent

Robert Oral Giffin

(1897 - 1984)

Ethel Gladys Cowart Giffin

(1900 - 1984)

Siblings

Robert Manning Giffin

(1930 - 2000)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Pine Grove Cemetery
Bridgeport, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3456001, -83.8555984

2. Oak Grove Cemetery
Bridgeport, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3613820, -83.8824930

3. Campau Family Cemetery
Frankenmuth, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3321160, -83.8109250

4. Olive Branch Methodist Cemetery
Bridgeport, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3110180, -83.8151480

5. Assumption Cemetery
Bridgeport Township, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3258018, -83.9141998

6. Buena Vista Township Cemetery
Buena Vista Township, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.4091988, -83.8572006

7. Spaulding Township Cemetery
Spaulding Township, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3422012, -83.9449997

8. Taymouth Township Cemetery
Taymouth, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.2799988, -83.8871002

9. Eastlawn Memorial Gardens
Saginaw, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.4094009, -83.8078003

10. Saint Lorenz Lutheran Cemetery
Frankenmuth, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3300018, -83.7559967

11. Bethel Lutheran Cemetery
Frankenmuth, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3672200, -83.7572400

12. Saint Johns Cemetery
Frankentrost, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3961100, -83.7779500

13. Janson Cemetery
Blumfield Township, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3927994, -83.7705994

14. Frankenmuth Township Cemetery
Frankenmuth, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3283500, -83.7484700

15. Saginaw Hebrew Cemetery
Saginaw, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3894440, -83.9500000

16. Saint Johns Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
Frankenmuth, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3293940, -83.7453920

17. Mount Olivet Cemetery
Saginaw, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3917007, -83.9488983

18. Forest Lawn Cemetery
Saginaw, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3960991, -83.9507980

19. Brady Hill Cemetery
Saginaw, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.4160995, -83.9436035

20. Blessed Trinity Catholic Church Cemetery
Frankenmuth, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.3304460, -83.7260470

21. Calvary Cemetery
Saginaw, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.4130750, -83.9490490

22. Chippewa Indian Cemetery
Burt, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.2482527, -83.8750432

23. Pierce Cemetery
Birch Run, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.2531110, -83.8091400

24. Birch Run Cemetery
Birch Run, Saginaw County, USA
Coordinate: 43.2569008, -83.7718964