Penni Griffin Will Leave Lasting Impression On Limestone College Community

The Limestone College community is mourning the death of Penni Griffin, the College’s First Lady who passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.

Funeral services will be held at Limestone’s Fullerton Auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 20, at 1 p.m. Visitation will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19, at Blakely Funeral Home. Interment will follow the funeral services at Oakland Cemetery.

The wife of Limestone President Dr. Walt Griffin, Penni was previously employed as a Medical Social Worker by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and as an Adjunct Professor by Limestone College. In 1995, she advanced to the position of Assistant Professor of Social Work, and was also appointed Director of Field Placement.

In 1997, she became the director of the Social Work program, and in 2002, Assistant Director/Dean of that program. The same year, her leadership and hard work resulted in a great triumph for the Social Work Program: its initial accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education. Under Professor Griffin's leadership the Social Program grew and prospered enormously.

Mrs. Griffin retired from her academic responsibilities in December of 2012, and the Board of Trustees authorized the granting of the status of Assistant Professor Emerita of Social Work.

Professor Griffin, her husband, and their youngest daughter, Megan, arrived in Gaffney in 1992 after Trustees had selected Dr. Griffin to be Limestone’s new president. Before she began a long tenure as a successful academic leader, Mrs. Griffin plunged into her role as First Lady, entertaining alumni and friends of the college, actively participating in fund raising drives to support advancement efforts, and traveling as needed to visit prospective donors and others who supported Limestone.

Jackie Puckett, who was recruited for the faculty by Mrs. Griffin and who worked alongside her for more than a decade, recalled that the successful efforts for Social Work accreditation were “due in no small part to Penni’s personal involvement and unending desire to succeed.”

Dr. Charles Cunning, a professional colleague who served as Executive Vice President while Mrs. Griffin was building the Social Work program, elaborated on her extensive efforts by noting that “she led the program to an enrollment of over 400, while achieving accreditation, strengthening the curriculum, and unifying the Social Work students.”

Mary Beth Hyatt, who earned her Master’s degree at the University of South Carolina and is now a member of the Social Work faculty, remembers the importance of the student to Mrs. Griffin when she was studying with Mrs. Griffin. “Not only did she challenge me intellectually, but also socially. She helped me see the broader picture of people in need and to consider each person individually.”

A former student, Bryan Armstrong, credits Mrs. Griffin with recruiting him and encouraging him to pursue a career in Social Work. He completed a Master’s degree at Barry University in Miami and is now a professional with offices in Charlotte, North Carolina.  He says, “Mrs. Griffin took on a role as a personal cheerleader and made sure I got the education I needed to be successful in life.”

Mrs. Griffin was the first faculty member at Limestone to be inducted into the Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society, and in the spring of 2014 was recognized by having a Social Work Award named in her honor and presented to the first student recipient at the annual Awards Banquet.

“I loved Limestone College from the beginning,” Mrs. Griffin said in a 2014 article in Limestone Today magazine. “I have enjoyed the work Walt and I have engaged in to make the College better for future generations. I am proud of the more than two-thousand graduates we have seen through the Social Work program.”

Memorials may be given to The Penni Griffin Scholarship Fund or The Library Building Fund at Limestone College, 1115 College Drive, Gaffney, SC, 29340.

(The full obiturary for Mrs. Griffin can be found below.)

Penni Oncken Griffin, social worker, educator, and First Lady of Limestone College, passed away on Tuesday, February 16, at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.

Penni was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on November 11, 1945. She graduated from St. Patrick's High School in Cedar Rapids in 1963 and from Coe College in the same city in 1970, having earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology. In the 1970s and 1980s, Mrs. Griffin held numerous Social Work positions in her native state, including Lead Social Worker and Protective Services Investigator for the Iowa Department of Social Services and Director of Homemaker Services for the Family Service Agency in Cedar Rapids. She was significantly involved in the creation of the first hospice in eastern Iowa.

Following a move to Ohio in 1989, Mrs. Griffin completed her Master's of Social Work degree at the University of Cincinnati. Shortly after the Griffins' arrival at Limestone College in 1992, she was employed as a Medical Social Worker by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and as an Adjunct Professor by Limestone College. In 1995, she advanced to the position of Assistant Professor of Social Work, and was also appointed Director of Field Placement; in 1997 she became the director of the Social Work program, and in 2002, Assistant Director/Dean of that program. The same year, her leadership and hard work resulted in a great triumph for the Social Work Program: its initial accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education. Under Professor Griffin's leadership the Social Program grew and prospered enormously. She was always known for her intense dedication to assisting her students. In 2012, Limestone College awarded Professor Griffin the status of Assistant Professor Emerita of Social Work.

In addition to her duties as a professor, Mrs. Griffin spent over 23 years serving Limestone College as First Lady, including extensive fundraising, hosting events, and working with alumni. She loved life and she loved helping people.

Penni was the daughter of Rita Klassen Oncken and Edward Oncken. She was preceded in death by her parents and one grandson, Nathan Haley. She is survived by her husband, Walt Griffin, her brother, Rick Oncken, her four children, Megan Griffin, RebEvening Programa Haley (Bob), Kathy Anzis (Hank), and Shawn Griffin (Kathy), her grandchildren, Lauren Haley, Matt Anzis, Ben Anzis, Justin Griffin, Aaron Griffin, Daniel Griffin, Jacob Griffin, and Jonathan Griffin, two nieces, Martha Underwood and Holly Oncken (Steve Berg), a nephew, Scott Oncken (Akiko), her beloved cats, and countless friends and former students whom she considered to be part of her family.

The family would like to express special appreciation to the Limestone College family, the staff of Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, the staff of DCI Gaffney, the staff of Alpha Health and Rehab of Greer, Janice James, Shermeka Bonham, Mrs. Griffin's many doctors and their staffs, and especially Dr. Lawrence S. McGee, III.

Services will be held at Limestone College in Fullerton Auditorium on Saturday, February 20, at 1:00 p.m. Visitation will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, February 19, at Blakely Funeral Home. Interment will follow the funeral services at Oakland Cemetery.

Memorials may be given to The Penni Griffin Scholarship Fund or The Library Building Fund at Limestone College, 1115 College Drive, Gaffney, SC, 29340.

(Article by Charles Wyatt, Limestone Director of Communications, with assistance from William Baker. Photo by Charles Wyatt)