WINTERVILLE—A little more than a year after her passing, the family of former Pitt Community College employee Lynn Griffin established a scholarship with the PCC Foundation in her memory.
Griffin, former director of the PCC-Pitt County Schools Technical Academy, was 54 years old when she died Nov. 18, 2023, following a courageous battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). She left behind a husband, Chuck; sons, Joseph and Jake Lee; stepchildren, Jacob Griffin and Jordan Sturgill; a pair of grandchildren and parents, Ronald and Gloria Vaughn.
Born in Rocky Mount, Griffin earned a degree in Business Teacher Education from East Carolina University and worked at its Brody School of Medicine for eight years. She joined Pitt as an Office Systems Technology instructor in 2006 and would later work as a PCC Career Coach before overseeing the PCC-PCS Technical Academy.
Launched in 2018, the academy provides Pitt County juniors and seniors hands-on training in curricula not offered by their respective high schools. Participants are bussed to and from class on Pitt’s main campus at no charge, and their tuition, fees and books are covered.
Starting with the 2025-26 academic year, the Lynn Griffin Memorial Scholarship will be awarded annually to a PCC student enrolled in one of the five degree programs affiliated with the technical academy: Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology, Architectural Technology, Biotechnology, Electrical Systems Technology and Industrial Systems Technology.
“Lynn Griffin loved her family, friends and Pitt Community College, so a scholarship that helps students achieve their goals and keeps her memory alive is a meaningful tribute with a lasting impact,” said Kim Simpkins, PCC Foundation Scholarship Coordinator. “I believe the example Lynn set through her dedication to PCC and bravery in facing ALS will serve as inspiration to recipients of the Lynn Griffin Memorial Scholarship.”
Diagnosed with ALS in August 2022, Griffin made it clear she wanted no sympathy and wouldn’t allow Lou Gehrig’s Disease to diminish her positive spirit.
“Last week I was diagnosed with ALS, and I just want my friends to know, not to feel sorry for me,” she wrote in a Facebook message dated Aug. 12, 2022. “I will not have it; I will only accept prayers and positivity.”
Throughout her 15-month fight with ALS, Griffin was upbeat, despite her increasingly limited physical abilities.
Just days after her diagnosis, she suffered a broken fibula but called it “a tiny bump in the road.” And two months prior to her passing – while paralyzed from the neck down – she still found a silver lining when she praised Eyegaze technology for allowing her to continue communicating with family and friends through her eyes.
Unable to use her legs and experiencing weakness in her arms, Griffin was still beaming with pride about the healthy cabbage plants she grew in March 2023. A few months earlier, she declared “two uncooperative legs can’t stop me” in a video post of her riding a motorized mobility scooter she’d nicknamed, “Mable.”
Nicknaming medical devices was one of the ways Griffin found humor through what she called “life’s ups and downs.” In addition to Mable, she had a “love/hate relationship” with Carrie the Cane. There was also Lester the Leg Brace, Piggy the PEG (Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy) Feeding Tube and Petunia the Powerchair.
Griffin found joy in a mini Cheesecake Blizzard from Dairy Queen after making stops at Hobby Lobby and The Pottery to check out the latest fall décor. She proclaimed a “perfect day” to be a successful ALS Walk under sunny spring skies with her “Win 4 Lynn” team. Supporting ALS research was important to her, as were her former PCC colleagues that she deemed “the best work family ever.”
More than anything else, though, Griffin made it clear how much she loved her family and friends and how grateful she was for the sacrifices and support she received from Chuck, aka “SuperHubs.”
As it turned out, family was the focus of Griffin’s final Facebook post. It came Oct. 31, 2023 – two weeks after she was unable to attend her son Jake’s wedding due to her condition. She posted several photos of the happy occasion and thanked a pair of longtime friends for allowing her to attend the ceremony virtually through Facetime.
Eighteen days later, she was gone. But thanks to the new PCC Foundation scholarship in her name, Griffin’s legacy will live on. Those who would like to contribute to the Griffin Scholarship can do so online or may contact Simpkins at kgsimpkins818@my.pittcc.edu or by calling (252) 493-7902.