Scott Griffin, OC (born 1938) is a Canadian businessman and philanthropist best known for founding the Griffin Poetry Prize in 2000, one of the world's most generous poetry awards, and Poetry In Voice, a bilingual recitation competition for Canadian high schools. Celebrating its 20th year in 2020, the Griffin Poetry Prize has become known as the most adventurous and generous international literary award. Griffin has been interviewed on CBC Radio,[1] discussing the genesis of his love for poetry, reading from his favourite works and paying tribute to poet Seamus Heaney, who received the Griffin Lifetime Recognition Award in 2012.[2]
Griffin is chairman, director and majority shareholder since 2002 of publisher House of Anansi Press/Groundwood Books. He is also chairman and director of Steam Whistle Brewing, and a director of Literary Review of Canada.
He was formerly chairman of the Governors of Sedbergh School in Canada, a director of DGC Entertainment Ventures Corp and Chancellor of Bishop's University.
Griffin was previously chairman, director and majority shareholder of two Canadian manufacturing companies. General Kinetics Engineering Corporation (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) designs and manufactures components for military and other tracked vehicles and high-speed rail.[3] Advance Precision Ltd. (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) designed and manufactured parts for the automotive industry, and was acquired by a US manufacturing firm.
Griffin was on several NGO boards, as a director of Canadian Executive Services Overseas (CESO), a volunteer advisor to CESO and a director of African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) Canada and AMREF International.
In 2006, Griffin published a memoir entitled My Heart Is Africa that recounted his two-year aviation adventure starting in 1996, working for the Flying Doctors Service in Africa. All royalties from the sale of the book are donated to the AMREF Flying Doctors Service. The book was named to The Globe and Mail top 100 for 2006.
Griffin is married to noted jewellery designer Krystyne Griffin and has four children and eight grandchildren. He was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada on December 30, 2012.[4]
Notes
edit- ^ "A Tribute to Seamus Heaney". Retrieved 2021-11-11.
- ^ "Griffin Poetry Prize: 2012 – Seamus Heaney". Griffin Poetry Prize. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
- ^ Per General Kinetics web site http://www.generalkinetics.com
- ^ "Appointments to the Order of Canada". Governor General of Canada. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
External links
edit- Griffin Poetry Prize Web site
- Poetry In Voice / Les voix de la poésie Web site
- Publishers page on My Heart is Africa
- 'The big guys keep being surprised by us' (article about House of Anansi Press in The Globe and Mail, October, 2007)
- Al Purdy - A Permanent Tribute - Statue of Canada’s Favourite Poet Unveiled in Queen’s Park
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