Legacy of USI benefactor Robert E. Griffin remembered

Robert E. (Bob) Griffin, a cornerstone of the Evansville community and longtime supporter of the University of Southern Indiana, died on March 22, 2024. His legacy is one of unwavering dedication to education and philanthropy, and he has left an indelible mark on the University. In 2014, Griffin and his family contributed a leadership gift of $5 million to Campaign USI: Elevating Excellence, resulting in the naming of the 14,346 square-foot Griffin Center on the USI campus. 

Griffin's legacy also includes serving on the USI Foundation Board of Directors from 1986 until his death. He was Foundation Board Chair from 1998 to 2000 and held various other advisory roles. He received an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from USI on May 11, 2003, and was the 2022 Honorary Alumni Award recipient. Griffin, his wife Judy and their family have supported the USI Presidential Scholarship Program since its inception in 1987. The family also endowed the Dr. John and Grace Helfrich Eisterhold Scholarship at USI in honor of Judy's parents, led a fund drive to establish the Robert D. and Mary Kay Orr Business Scholarship and endowed the Robert E. and Judith A. Griffin Presidential Scholarship. The Griffins also made a leadership gift to the Business and Engineering Center where the Judith A. and Robert E. Griffin Experimental Economics Laboratory is named in their honor. 

In 2014, when USI broke ground on the Griffin Center, Griffin said, “The University of Southern Indiana is a good thing for Evansville and the region, and it deserves our support and involvement. We want this to be a good community—we live here, we have families here. Education is an essential part of our community—it's the best investment we can make. The more brain power we keep here in the community, the more the community will advance with the University.” 

The USI community mourns the loss of a beloved friend but celebrates the enduring impact of Griffin, whose legacy will live on at USI for years to come. 

Services 

Visitation will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. with a memorial service following at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 19, at Ziemer Funeral Home East Chapel, located at 800 S. Hebron Ave, Evansville, Indiana. Visitation will continue from 1:30 to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 20. A Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church at 625 Frame Rd., Newburgh, Indiana. 

Entombment will be at St. John Mausoleum, Bell Road in Newburgh, where the Retired Veterans Memorial Club and the United States Navy will conduct Military Honors. Condolences may be shared online at www.ziemerfuneralhome.com.