Balie Jackson Griffith

1931 - 2020

GRIFFITH, Balie Jackson Age 88, died peacefully October 29th, 2020, at his home in Austin surrounded by his loving family. Born on December 18th, 1931, in Brownwood, Texas, he was the son of Balie Lafayette and Elizabeth Grace Griffith. Balie graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1953 and then started his career at Firestone. After seven years and rising to the level of store manager, he took over the family owned Firestone Store in Odessa, Texas. Soon thereafter, he added partners Harold Crawford and Perry Rose. Together, Griffith, Crawford, and Rose formed a partnership called GCR. The company eventually comprised 91 stores and was spread throughout Texas. It had become Firestone's largest independent dealer. In 1987, GCR was sold to Firestone. After establishing himself as a successful entrepreneur, Balie invested in Texas commercial properties. He was always a firm believer in philanthropy. It was his greatest joy to use his resources to uplift disadvantaged children through education. In 1985, Balie and his wife Beverly founded and endowed the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Scholarship Program of Austin. The program achieves a 90 percent graduation rate for its at-risk students and has provided more than 2000 students with scholarships for higher education. In 1998, Balie and Beverly started AVANCE in Austin. AVANCE uses a unique two generation educational program for immigrant families with toddlers. AVANCE effectively breaks the poverty cycle by making parents the first educators of their children. Since then, AVANCE Austin has enabled thousands of participants to achieve a brighter future. Balie also served on the Advisory Board of the Trust for Public Land, and he and his wife Beverly chaired the Stewardship for the Union Congregational Church in Crested Butte, Colorado. In his spare time, Balie enjoyed carpentry. He built his first cabin at the North San Gabriel River and later a second cabin on the Pedernales River. Balie's gentle and loving spirit will be dearly missed. He is survived by his wife Beverly of 58 years, their son Stephen and his wife Stefanie, his grandchildren Elenor, Kimberly, Balie, and Leah, and his sister Anne. A Memorial Service for close family members will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Austin on November 1st. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to AVANCE (AvanceAustin.org), Trust for Public Land (TPL.org/denver), or the Union Congregational Church in Crested Butte (uccrestedbutte.org).