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"TOMORROW IS TODAY'S DREAM"

On August 28, 2004, Lucie Estelle L'Hommedieu Griffith passed quietly away at home in Murrieta, California. She died as she lived, with dignity and personal independence, true to her life motto, "Tomorrow is today's dream." She was 94.

Lucie, known as Lucile in her later years, was born August 12, 1910, Turtle Creek, PA, and when only 3 weeks old, she had her first adventure, traveling across the country by train with her parents to the San Francisco Bay area. Here she grew up and began her life long love of California, her beloved Yosemite and Big Basin, camping and nature. Lucie graduated with highest honors from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in economics and personnel administration, (she later attended Boston University, University of Pittsburgh, and The New School in New York City, earning Masters in philosophy and psychology). It was the first year of the Great Depression after graduation from Berkeley and she often laughed that she got her first post graduation job in a department store credit department, not because of her education, but because she could type. Lucie had begun her working career at the age of 14, giving violin lessons for 50 cents a lesson and had paid for her college expenses reading to the blind and working as a playground supervisor and tennis instructor.

In 1935, Lucie used a small inheritance from her Grandmother to finance a trip "back East" to visit with her Mother's family in Pittsburgh, PA. Just prior to her marriage in 1938 to Edgar Marshall Griffith, who she met shortly after arriving in Pittsburgh, she came to national prominence, as a ground breaker for women, when a business essay she wrote as part of a contest conducted by Forbes Magazine, was selected over 758 other entrants, all male. Her arrival in New York City to receive her award and expenses paid week in the city was met with much hand wringing as the Forbes Magazine men discovered her gender for the first time and tried to decided what to do with a woman contest winner. The CEO of the company, Mr. Forbes himself, put a stop to the grumbling and made a public statement that "woman or not, she was proof of the best and brightest and would get her prize and the national recognition she so well deserves."

 After her marriage in November, 1938, she and her new husband, Marshall, set up housekeeping in Johnstown, PA where Marshall was the project manager for the flood wall project underway in a city famous for its devastating floods. It took Lucie less than six months to begin making her mark as a volunteer leader, trainer, board member, vice president, executive trainer and president Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. in Johnstown. She was also a board member for the Cambria City Mission, the Johnstown Symphony Auxiliary, Johnstown Youth Association all while finding time to play the violin in the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra. In 1945, she took a year off to have her only child, Sara Leslie Griffith, and worked hard at bringing scouting to the small mining towns that dotted the landscape in and around Cambria County. Lucie fought prejudice all her life and she always felt her crowning achievement was establishing the first troop for African American young girls. She became the Executive Director of the Johnstown Girl Scout Council in 1951. In 1961, now a young widow, she became the Executive Director of the Buffalo and Erie County Girl Scout Council, NY. In 1966, she was tapped to head the Bureau of Wages and Standards at National Headquarters in New York City. She left New York to begin her quest to return to California with a stop as Executive Director of the Northwest Cook County, Illinois council from 1968-1970 and in 1970 she joined the Spanish Trails Girl Scout Council, Pomona, California. After her retirement in 1975, she returned to scouting as the Interim Director, Two Rivers G.S. Council in Quincy, Illinois until they could hire a permanent director.

She continued her public service as a Member of the Quota Club, the Century Club of Buffalo, NY, charter member of the NAACP and active civil rights worker, the American Association of University Women, the Buffalo Philharmonic Auxiliary, as a volunteer for alcohol rehabilitation programs, a member of the Society of Personnel Women and member and officer of the Des Plaines and Pomona Soroptomist Clubs. She was a member and officer of the Chino Art Association, she recorded text books for the blind at the Claremont Center and volunteered for the California Literacy Campaign through the Chino Library, teaching adults to read. In retirement, she worked as a census enumerator and during tax season, as a preparer for H&R Block.

Lucie's retirement years were ones spent traveling with her daughter and friends, visiting her family, playing bridge, painting, loving the computer age, and staying active. When Ronald Reagan was elected President, she took it as a personal challenge (they were the same age), and vowed, "if he can be that active, so can I." Her words during the week long Reagan funeral were, "I won!"

Lucie is survived by her Daughter, Sara Leslie Jacoby of Murrieta, CA, Grandson David Marshall Jacoby and his partner Penny of Murrieta, CA, Granddaughter Victoria Huggins and Greatgranddaughter, Jessica (age 13) of Kissimmee, FL, Nephew Robert L'Hommedieu of Placentia, CA, Nieces Susan L'H. Kalhoefer of Missouri, Maureen Murtaugh of Danville, CA and Martha Adams of Pittsburgh, PA. She was preceded in death by her parents, William Peryn and Sara (Young) L'Hommedieu, her brothers, Alfred and William R. L'Hommedieu, her sister, Annalene Hervey Callendar, and her husband, Edgar Marshall Griffith.

Lucie requested that there be no funeral or formal gathering after her passing. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, any donations be given to the Talus Rock Council, Johnstown, PA. to establish camperships for needy girls or to the Parkinson Foundation in honor of Lucie's oldest and dearest friend, Helen Sellers. Private internment September 7, 2004, Forest Lawn, Covina Hills, CA