海角大神

To talk the talk is one thing, the saying goes. But to walk the walk, the way senior citizen advocate Doris Griffin does, in her trademark high heels 鈥� for 75 years 鈥� is another thing, entirely.

The click of her heels down the hallways of government offices and senior centers is the sound of the upbeat energy that the
octogenarian is known for in her work. And that work for the past three decades, say those who know her, has been important: Much of the support services for older adults in the San Antonio area exists because of her.

鈥淪he鈥檚 a force of nature. She鈥檚 a role model,鈥� says Carol Zernial, executive director of the WellMed Charitable Foundation. 鈥淚鈥檓 probably not the only one who aspires to be Doris Griffin when I鈥檓 her age.鈥澛�

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the work she does more urgent than ever, and so while she technically retired four years ago, Ms. Griffin is moving as fast as ever.

鈥淚 know what it is to feel isolated and lonely, and that鈥檚 what they feel all the time,鈥� says Ms. Griffin. 鈥淚 found that out during this period."

鈥淵ou can get real used to sitting around ... and just not doing anything,鈥� she adds. 鈥淎nd then you have no reason to get up, and you have nothing to look forward to.鈥�

Finding purpose

For Ms. Griffin, who bears a slight resemblance to her idol, the peppy, all-American singer-actor of the 1950s and 鈥�60s, Doris Day, the 鈥渓ook鈥� is what gets her out of bed each day: Putting herself together with those heels and perfect clothes and makeup, she says, 鈥渋s just for me.鈥澛�

At a Monitor interview on a mid-September afternoon in the north San Antonio home she shares with her daughter and sister, she was dressed sleekly in a black blouse and pants with the heels she鈥檚 been sporting since the age of 15.

鈥淚 have seen a lot, experienced a lot,鈥� she continues. 鈥淚 just encourage them to go to their doctors, encourage them to try to stay active, and you know, not just give up and just sit.鈥�

She has been a live wire since childhood. There were only 15 other houses in Gobblers Knob, the rural Ohio hamlet she grew up in during the Great Depression. But there were lots of children and room to run around.

鈥淲e had a creek down here and we had a forest back here. Man, we were just turned loose,鈥� she recalls.

She likes to sing too, and singing was her first love. As a teenager she worked at WLWT, the same Cincinnati radio station where the other Doris began her rise to Hollywood stardom. Ms. Griffin performed with a band on the radio and onstage under the name Dixie West, and recorded one record 鈥� a record that thankfully, she says, has been lost to the mists of time.

She liked to have fun, but she says it was her parents who taught her that helping others is more enriching than money or fame. 聽

Her father, who worked as a maintenance supervisor at General Electric, 鈥渘ever asked his [team] to do anything he wouldn鈥檛 do,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 really learned a lesson from that.鈥�

She didn鈥檛 become a star like Doris Day, but before she turned 20 she left Ohio, becoming the globe-trotting wife of a U.S. airman. She joined her husband on postings in the Azores, Germany, the United Kingdom, Libya, and Alaska. Whenever they returned to the United States, Hawaii was always their first choice of posting.聽

But instead of white sands and Pacific Ocean breezes, they almost always got the urban sprawl of San Antonio and the now-closed Kelly Air Force Base. After her husband retired from the military in the late 1960s she spent over a decade working for local churches.

Just when Ms. Griffin was planning to take some time off, Jefferson Outreach 鈥� a nonprofit that helps older adults in the San Antonio area stay active and feel less isolated 鈥� asked her to become its executive director. 聽

鈥淓verything we did was so that seniors could be independent in their own homes,鈥� she says.

And as she entered her 60s, she adds, 鈥淚 had a purpose.鈥�

鈥淎 way of life鈥�

In 2000, she joined the Texas聽Silver-Haired Legislature, an advocacy group for Texas seniors at the state level.聽

鈥淸Ms. Griffin] pulls her own weight, plus others鈥�,鈥� says Pat Porter, who joined the group that same year. 鈥淪he鈥檚 always worked really hard on [issues like] delivering meals, congregate meals, and housing.鈥�

And in the underfunded arena of senior services, her advocacy efforts have been especially needed.

鈥淭he numbers are so small they鈥檙e almost a rounding error when you talk about the dollars spent,鈥� says Ms. Zernial.聽 鈥淲hat Doris is doing, talking to people at the state level, [is] so that we at least get that.鈥�

In 2002 Ms. Griffin joined a joint city-county commission on elderly affairs, and the commission soon recommended the creation of centers where older adults could meet for meals, access services, and join activities and exercises.

At first the commission wanted four 鈥� one in each quadrant of the city. Now there are 10, and one of them is named after Ms. Griffin.聽

鈥淪he literally helped change the thinking of senior services in Bexar County,鈥� says Ms. Zernial. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a fierce advocate for older persons. ... It鈥檚 a way of life for her.鈥�

Ms. Griffin retired from Jefferson Outreach four years ago but is now聽working as a paid volunteer for WellMed聽to help San Antonio鈥檚 older adults weather the COVID-19 pandemic.聽

Together they鈥檙e working to encourage older adults to take care of their regular health and chronic conditions. With one initiative they鈥檝e distributed tablets 鈥� nicknamed GrandPads 鈥� to some people so they can meet virtually with their doctors. They鈥檙e also putting on events and television programs aimed at keeping older adults engaged and active.聽

鈥淪he鈥檚 like a spokesperson,鈥� says Ms. Zernial. 鈥淎nd she鈥檚 very personable.鈥�

Like most of the country, Ms. Griffin has been getting a crash course in videoconferencing this year. She鈥檚 seeing the benefits, however, such as virtual bingo games and exercise sessions. And she鈥檚 helping promote them.聽

There are already 20 exercise classes set up over Zoom, she explains, miming the exercises in her chair, her heels clacking against the floor with each move.聽

鈥淵ou have to be innovative and try to figure out ... what can I do?鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou either find something, or you鈥檙e just lonely and sad, and end up being lonelier and sadder.鈥�

As she approaches her ninth decade, she says she recognizes that she may not have many more years of advocacy left in her. Next year will be her ninth term in the Texas
Silver-Haired Legislature. Walking up and down the halls 鈥� and, more importantly, the stairs 鈥� of the state Capitol is increasingly challenging, especially in heels.

But, she jokes, the heels are what people will remember her for.

鈥淲hen we think of the heels we鈥檙e also going to think about what she has meant to this community,鈥� says Ms. Zernial.

And for now, Ms. Griffin continues to build her legacy, guided by her parents鈥� altruistic philosophy: 鈥淲hat do you do with your life? Is it money and fame? What is it? Why are you here? And I think you鈥檙e here to serve others,鈥� she says.聽

鈥淚f you can help in any way, that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e here for.鈥�

Editor鈥檚 note: This story has been updated to clarify聽that the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature is, for Texas legal purposes, an advocacy group.