David Griffin graduated from Howard College in 1950, eventually earning a Ph.D. in history from the University of Georgia and then giving himself to a lifetime of teaching at the Unversity of West Georgia.  Now 81 years old, he remembers with great clarity the ways in which a faculty member made a difference in his life 64 years ago: 

  

"I entered Howard College in September 1947 as a seventeen-year old freshman from deep southeast Alabama, just north of Dothan.  I had loved the history of our country since fifth grade and felt quite early that I probably wanted to be a history teacher, but I was unsure until I had freshman American history under Miss Mary Emily McGriff in Riley Hall Annex on Howard's old East Lake campus.  Talk about fascinating to hear and observe five days of the week in a 3:00 o'clock class, she was!  Her comments of praise on my test papers "sealed the deal" for me; I would be a history teacher someday and I hoped to be as good as she was.  She inspired me to study hard, do the best I could  in all my classes, and when I was elected to Trident my junior year she deserved a lot of the credit." 

  

The world is better because of the eternal impact of those who are called to teach. 

  

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.