Frank Griffin Obituary

Dr. Frank Monroe Griffin, Jr., HOOVER,AL- Dr. Frank Monroe Griffin, Jr. of Hoover, AL died on May 4, 2019 at his home after a brief illness. He was born on May 17, 1941 in Orangeburg, SC and grew up in Charleston, SC. He remained in Charleston until he completed medical school in 1966. He was an intern in medicine and a fellow in infectious diseases at U.A.B. After two years as a military physician in Chicago, IL as the Chief of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, followed by two years as a research fellow at Rockefeller University in New York, he joined the faculty at U.A.B. in 1975, where he remained until 1998. While at U.A.B. he developed and directed the MD-PhD program leading to the formation of The Griffin Society, a society of physicians engaged in both clinical medicine and research. His investigative work led to 63 publications. He received numerous awards for outstanding clinical teaching. He spent five years with The Baptist Hospitals of Birmingham, most of it as the Senior Vice President of Medical Education. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Internal Medicine and in Infectious Diseases. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a fellow of the American College of Infectious Diseases, and a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation. He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Patti; his daughter, Allston Schwartz (Frank) of Charleston; his step-daughter, Nicole Watkins of Hoover, AL; his brother, James Griffin (Penny) of Isle of Palms, SC; two grandsons, Mitchell and Griffin Schwartz of Charleston; a niece, Catherine Griffin of Charleston; cousins, Libby Baxley (Ed) of Lexington, KY, Pat Barrett and Judy Kowalski (Lane), both of Anderson, SC, Bert Pruitt of Charleston, and John Hare of Virginia; and a special sister-in-law, Donna Powers of Hoover. The family would like to thank Dr. Joelle Hamilton, Dr. Greg Ayers, and Dr. Paul Rickert for providing such loving care during Dr. Griffin's illness. Thanks also to Darlene and Sheree with Southern Care Hospice for their exceptional care. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2019 at 11 a.m. at All Saints Episcopal Church, 110 W. Hawthorne Road, Homewood, AL 35209. Father Charles Youngson will officiate. Burial will follow at Southern Heritage Cemetery in Pelham, AL. The family will greet friends at a reception at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 18 at All Saints Episcopal Church. Please visit Dr. Frank Monroe Griffin Jr.'s special page at www.southernheritagefunerals.com to post your written tributes. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston