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Reprinted from HomeFront Magazine 2009 Vol I
American Legion Auxiliary
8945 N. Meridian St
Indianapolis, IN 46260
Where are they now?
When Molly Griffis was a junior in high school and selected to attend Oklahoma Girls State, she had no idea how training
ground experience in government would impact her life many years later. “My Senatorial year was 1955 when my hair was much darker and my body much lighter!” Griffis remembers. She was elected governor at Girls State
and subsequently selected to represent the state at Girls Nation in Washington D.C.
Griffis, of Apache, Okla. (population 1,254), traveled to American University where she experienced what she described as “a
most wonderful week,” with her Lieutenant Governor Kay King, Altus, Okla. “It was a heady experience for two 15-year-olds who never ventured so far from home. It was my first plane ride and we dressed like all who
flew in those days in high heels, hat and gloves.”
Those experiences instilled in her a love of her country and a patriotic pride, which today shines through in this award
winning author’s children's books. Set in 1941, The Rachel Resistance, The Feester Filibuster and Simon Says, all feature The American Legion Hut as the hub of the town’s activities for everything from Girl Scout
meetings to bandage rolling for the American Red Cross. Griffis’ unique ability to capture the reaction of a typical small town’s population during WWII renders her writing both entertaining and educational. Today
when talking with budding young writers she compares the events of Pearl Harbor and World War II to September 11, 2001.
After 47 years of marriage, Griffis was widowed last year and is now in the process of carving a new life for herself. She
recently moved to “a new old house,” built in 1930, and is convinced it is an enchanted cottage that will allow her to write her best work ever! Clearly Molly Griffis is another “award winning” example of how the
American Legion Auxiliary’s Girls State/Girls Nation programs profoundly affect those who attend.
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