2015 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 222
BY SENATOR CLAITOR
A RESOLUTION
To congratulate George Lee Griffin Sr. on the occasion of his retirement as president and
chief executive officer of the LSU Foundation and to commend him for his fifty-five
years of civic activism, public service and philanthropy in the state of Louisiana.
WHEREAS, on September 19, 1938, George Lee Griffin Sr. was born in Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas, to Dale and Catherine Griffin and was a younger brother to A.D.; and
WHEREAS, the family settled in Dallas, Texas, where Lee excelled in athletics at
Highland Park High School, and earned a diving scholarship to attend the University of
Texas; and
WHEREAS, at the University of Texas, he earned a degree in Economics; and
WHEREAS, while attending graduate school at LSU, he met the love of his life,
Elizabeth "Barrie" Lobdell, whom he married shortly after earning a Master of Science in
Economics and Finance; and
WHEREAS, Lee began work as a management trainee at Louisiana National Bank,
and became president of the bank at age forty; and
WHEREAS, under his leadership, Louisiana National Bank was a pioneer in banking
with such innovations as drive-through tellers, issuing credit cards, and later multi-parish
banking; and
WHEREAS, Lee later became president, chief executive officer, and chairman of
Premier Bank, and retired as president and chief executive officer of Bank One, Louisiana
(now Chase); and
WHEREAS, while serving as a bank president and in retirement, Lee served on
numerous civic and non-profit boards; and
WHEREAS, governors Foster, Blanco, and Jindal each appointed him to the
Louisiana State Civil Service Commission, and Lee was selected to chair the legislatively-
created SECURE Commission whose efficiency recommendations resulted in saving
Louisiana millions of dollars; and
WHEREAS, for his civic activism and philanthropy, Lee has received numerous
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awards and honors including LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction, the E. J. Ourso
College of Business Hall of Distinction, Greater Baton Rouge Business Report and Junior
Achievement Hall of Fame's 1996 Businessperson of the Year, the National Conference of
Christians and Jews' Brotherhood Award, and the Golden Deeds award granted by the
Inter-Civic Council and The Advocate; and
WHEREAS, Lee became a member of the LSU Foundation Board of Directors in
1981 and is the longest-serving active member of the board, for which he served as president
from 1989-90; and
WHEREAS, in July 2011, at the request of the board, Lee succeeded retiring LSU
Foundation president and CEO Major General William Bowdon in an interim role, but the
following month the board asked him to stay on for an indefinite period of time; and
WHEREAS, upon the retirement of Lee, Stephen Moret was recently selected to
succeed him; and
WHEREAS, Lee is a man of strong faith and an active member of St. James
Episcopal Church, where he currently serves as its senior warden; and
WHEREAS, while Lee is a man of many business and civic accomplishments, he is
most proud of his family: wife Barrie; children Lee Jr., Bill, and Beth; grandchildren Allison,
Anna Katherine, Lauren, Griffin, Madeline, Jack, Michael, and Andrew; and
great-grandchildren Aubrey and Lydia; and
WHEREAS, in retirement he looks forward to spending more time with his family,
traveling, watching his grandchildren's sporting events, witnessing more high school and
college graduations, and duck hunting.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby congratulate George Lee Griffin Sr. on the occasion of his retirement as
president and chief executive officer of the LSU Foundation and to commend him for his
fifty-five years of civic activism, public service and philanthropy in the state of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
George Lee Griffin Sr.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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