Jack Edward Griffis

Jack Edward Griffis passed away on January 20, 2021 just short of his 97th birthday after a short illness.   Born March 2nd, 1924 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, he was a graduate of Moravian Preparatory School and Liberty High School before entering Lehigh University in 1942.  Jack was drafted into the Navy in early 1944 and served as a radio operator and electronics technician in the Philippines before returning to Lehigh in late 1945 when World War II ended.   He completed his degree in electrical engineering in 1946 and joined Western Electric’s tube shop in New York City.  He returned to Bethlehem 1948as a product engineer at Western Electric’s Allentown Works, working on the Magnetron and Klystron vacuum tubes and the traveling wave tubes, earning two patents.  These tube advancements allowed American television entertainment companies to break out of the restricted local broadcasting markets, enabling them to simultaneously beam programs nationwide.   He became Western Electric’s youngest ever departmental superintendent before being transferred to the Kansas City, Missouri plant in 1961.  His work in the development of electronic devices, chemical plating and chemical analysis of grid manufacturing led to the development of transistors, the first step in the miniaturization of electronic devices that made today’s electronic devices a reality.  Filling numerous roles in Kansas City, including eight years as manager of computer operations and systems, he returned to the Allentown Works in 1977 as an Electronics Division Manager overseeing work in several Western Electric locations and played a pivotal role in the nationwide Bell system divestiture in the early 1980s before retiring in 1985.

Jack was known for his love and knowledge of music from an early age, first as solo clarinetist for 3 years in Liberty High School Band, then as a member of the Lehigh University Glee Club, and then as a member of the Naval Choir.  He was an active supporter of the Allentown Band and an enthusiastic collector of fine music which he unabashedly shared with everyone. Jack was a talented woodworker who made fine furniture for his home, cradles for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and who enthusiastically guided his sons and grandchildren to follow in his footsteps. He was heavily involved in the Boy Scouts of America serving as a member and President of the Bethlehem Area Boy Scout Council, Assistant Scoutmaster of Central Moravian Church’s scout troop, and instrumental in the development and expansion of the Minsi Trails Scout Camp in the Pocono Mountains in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.  After retirement he returned to Central Moravian Church where he became an active member of the beeswax candle making group and repaired several rocking cradles and other furniture in use in the sanctuary.        

Jack is survived by his third wife, Sandy (Ernst) Griffis, his sons Jeffrey A. and Martha (Dodge) Griffis, James D. and Carol (Kissinger) Griffis, and David C. and Beth (Wolfsberger) Griffis, stepdaughter Leslie Oxford High, twelve grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

Jack will be interned at the family’s plot in Nisky Hill Cemetery on January 30th after a family-only service due to Covid-19 restrictions.  The family plans to hold a memorial service in the future once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.  Memorial donations can be made in Jack’s name to the Boy Scouts of America and to Central Moravian Church.

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