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Title
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Griffith, Emily (1868-1947)
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birthday
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1868-02-10
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Birthplace
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Cincinnati, OH
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Death Date
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1947-06-19
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Occupation
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Teacher
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Superintendent
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Biographical Text
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Emily Griffith was the founder of the Emily Griffith Opportunity School, now named Emily Griffith Technical College. Griffith was born into poverty, dropping out of school after eighth grade to become the caretaker of her parents and two sisters due to their various illnesses. Her family would later move to Nebraska, where she became a teacher at 16 years old. Griffith was moved by the amount of adults who had not been able to complete their education, especially those from minority or immigrant backgrounds. After moving to Denver in 1894, she rose the ranks of the public school system, where she taught night classes for adults and briefly served as Deputy State Superintendent of Schools. This would eventually lead her to open the Opportunity School in 1916, where adult students could enroll in practical courses at no cost. Over a million students graduated the school by the time she retired in 1933.
Griffith never married. She lived with her sister Florence in order to attend to her epilepsy until the two were murdered at home in 1947. The perpetrator was never discovered.
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Contributor
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Raisch, Elly
