The Columbian College community notes with regret and great sorrow the passing of two revered colleagues: William B. Griffith, Elton Professor of Philosophy and Public Policy, and Bill Chambliss, Professor of Sociology.
William Byron Griffith
Bill earned his PhD in philosophy from Yale University in 1963 and, after service in the U.S. Army, began his career at GW in July of 1964. His research interests and publications focused on the application of theories of distributive justice to environmental policy, welfare policy, tax policy, and the regulation of business. Bill served several terms as chair of the Department of Philosophy and was one of the longest-serving members of the Faculty Senate, where he occupied several different leadership positions, including chair of the Executive Committee, and chair of the Committee on Fiscal Planning and Budgeting. He also served as the redoubtable parliamentarian for the Columbian College faculty meetings through the fall of 2013.
The recipient of the Trachtenberg Award for Service in 1993, Bill gave himself completely to the Department of Philosophy, the Columbian College, and the University he loved and served so faithfully. It was under Bill’s tenure that the Department of Philosophy first attained its current level of excellence. Long an advocate of philosophy in the public interest, he was the principal architect and long-serving director of the MA Program in Philosophy and Public Policy, the first of its kind in the United States.
Together with his wife, Patricia Griffith, the novelist, playwright, and English professor at GW, Bill was a supporter and patron of the arts and deeply enjoyed film, literature, the theatre, and sculpture. Renowned and much loved for his wise counsel, his calm and even keel gentlemanly manner, and his unfailing wit, Bill was continually sought out by students, colleagues, and administrators for mentoring and advice. Bill Griffith will be remembered by legions of students for his kind but firm guidance, his wide-ranging knowledge, and his high standards. He will be sorely missed by the entire GW community.
A memorial event will be held to honor Bill's half-century of service to GW on Friday, May 2nd in the late afternoon. Details will follow as they become available.
Bill Chambliss
A towering figure in sociology, Bill’s work transformed the scholarly worlds of social theory, the sociology of law, and criminology. Widely known internationally as a leading conflict theorist, Bill was always quick to point out that he was a sociologist whose interests included criminology. Among his “associates” were leading crime figures and the victims of their actions. As his longtime friend and fellow sociologist Richard Applebaum stated, “Bill repeatedly went to the streets. He hung out with such notorious organized crime chiefs as Meyer Lansky as well as low-level drug dealers and petty criminals in Seattle; poppy growers, heroin traffickers, and CIA chiefs in Thailand’s Golden Triangle; pirates of many stripes, whenever he could find them.” His research examined the elites of many segments of society, but his sympathies and messages were always for those who were often criminalized primarily because they happened to be poor.
In a career spanning more than 50 years, he produced almost two dozen books and countless articles, which were frequently reprinted over the decades. Bill received his PhD at the University of Indiana in 1962, held faculty positions at several universities and was in constant demand as an invited lecturer at universities on almost every continent. He was elected president of the American Society of Criminology in 1998, president of the Society for the Study of Social Problems in 1993, and received lifetime achievement awards from the American Sociological Association Sections on Criminology in 1985 and the Sociology of Law in 2009. The American Society of Criminology awarded him the society’s Major Achievement Award in 1995 and the Edwin H. Sutherland Award in 2001. In 2012, the Society for the Study of Social Problems created the William J. Chambliss Lifetime Achievement Award and Bill was the first recipient. Bill’s life was filled with scholarly achievement and joy, both of which he shared with all those around him.
At his side during his last few days were his wife Pernille, his sons Jeff and James, his daughter Lauren, and his grandchildren. He will be missed greatly by his family and many friends. Department Chair Greg Squires observed, “As the outpouring of messages I received within 24 hours of his passing confirmed, Bill was loved by his many students, colleagues, and dear friends around the country.”
Bill truly “spoke truth to power” before that phrase became a cliché and his influence will long live on.