Cape Fear Profile: Les Griffin has 'right amount of humility to serve'

(from the Fayetteville Observer, by Amneris Solano)

[Les] Griffin believes we always continue to learn. He also follows the words of Martin Luther King Jr. by devoting his life to serving the community. Those two tenets have driven him, professionally and personally.

"Everybody can serve," Griffin said. "You don't have to be an Einstein or a great philosopher, all you need is a heart full of love. I pray all the time to have just the right amount of humility to serve."

At age 75, Griffin, a retired Army major, shows no signs of slowing down or retiring. His lengthy list of community activities keeps him busy. And a few years ago, they helped him cope with one of the biggest hardships of his life - the death of Alma, his wife of 48 years.

He continues to run his business, Cape Fear Financial Services, which he bought in 1979. Besides his work with the symphony, Griffin serves on the boards of the Cumberland Community Foundation, the Cumberland County Partnership for Children, the St. Ann Catholic Church neighborhood youth center and the North Carolina Freedom Monument Project, which aims to honor the African-American experience in the state... Read more