M. Smith "Smitty" Griffith

Athens, GA - Longtime Athens resident, Smitty Griffith, died Monday, September 21, 2015, after an extended illness. She was born September 16, 1923, in Stanly County, NC, to James Lemuel and Mollie Bruton Smith.
Smitty moved to Athens from Atlanta in 1961 and began dedicating herself to causes benefitting the University of Georgia and the Athens community. She served as president of the Salvation Army Auxiliary and was instrumental in raising funds for the Salvation Army's Fresh Air camps for young people. As a past co-president of the Athens Concert Association she helped support students of music at the University of Georgia through scholarship funds. Smitty was a board member of the United Way and an early member of the board of trustees for Athens Academy.
For her overall and enduring service to the community, Smitty was honored with the Golden Award at the 1974 Woman of the Year banquet.
Smitty will be remembered for her elegant parties, her world travels, and her beautiful clothes. An extensive selection of those clothes will be housed within the Historic Clothing and Textiles Collection in the Special Collections Library on the University of Georgia campus. But she will best be remembered for her commitment and devotion to the Georgia Museum of Art.
In 1973, she was a founder the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art. As a creative and skilled hostess, she raised not only funds for the museum but also its profile. In 1982 the Georgia Museum of Art was named the official state museum of art. In 1986 she helped create, organize and launch the first Elegant Salute, which continues to be the museum's major biennial fund-raiser. She was the first member of the museum's Director's Circle when it was created in 1992. To honor her, the museum established in 1998 the M. Smith Griffith Award and she was its first recipient. Called the "Smitty", this annual award is given to recognize exemplary volunteer service at the museum. Smitty personally sponsored numerous exhibitions and many local and statewide educational programs. Her support has enabled the museum to make many of its most significant acquisitions.
For her dedication to the Georgia Museum of Art and the University of Georgia, and for her arts advocacy within the Athens community and across the state, Smitty was awarded the 2007 Blue Key Service Award by the University of Georgia Chapter of the Blue Key National Honor Society.
The M. Smith Griffith Auditorium and the M. Smith Griffith Grand Hall at the Georgia Museum of Art are testaments to her generosity.
Smitty was predeceased by her first husband, Thomas Slade Prescott, of Atlanta, GA and her second husband, Louis Turner Griffith, of Athens, GA. Her one surviving sibling is O. Bruton Smith, of Charlotte, NC. Other survivors include her daughter Kathy Prescott (Grady Thrasher) of Athens, GA; her son, Louis Turner Griffith, Jr., of Statham, GA; her granddaughter, Emily Patricia Cooper (Michael Cooper), of Duluth, GA; and her great-grandchildren, Turner Alexander Griffith, Osee Anna Nix and Sahara Elizabeth Nix.
Her family wishes to acknowledge and give special thanks to her beloved companions, Atlean Huff, Linda Stephens and Linda Dunn.
There will be a private family graveside service. A memorial service will be held Friday, October 2, at 1PM in the Georgia Museum of Art's Sculpture Garden with a reception following in the museum's Grand Hall. To honor her memory, in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Georgia Museum of Art, St. Mary's Hospice, or a charity of one's choice.