Uncrowned Community Builders

A native Buffalonian, Charles was the ninth of eleven children. He was a 1955 graduate of Burgard Vocational High School.

He served in the Army stateside, then worked in security at the General Motors axle plant and in the security department at Buffalo Savings Bank. He also was a sales coordinator at Mendleson Furniture.

Mr. McGriff was a member of the Buffalo Water Board for 7 years, since 2001. He was noted for his votes against rate hikes and his opposition to the ill-fated plan to sell the city's water system to Erie County.

Active in Democratic politics on the East side for many years, he had been a legislative assistant to Council member Clifford Bell and had worked in City hall on economic development in the 1990s.

Mr. McGriff was an active member of the Davis Specials and the Buffalo Youth Chorale and had been a member of the Cofratraes, an Eastside social club since he was in high school. In 1979, he co-founded the Buffalo chapter of The Cousins, the largest African American family in America which has more than 9,000 members and chapters in 23 states.

Long active in Durham Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, he was named Lay Person of the Year by the Rochester-Syracuse-Buffalo District AME Zion Church in 2000. He also was a Mason.

He was married to the former Jennifer Rollins for 46 years. They have a son, Charles Jr. and two daughters, Kathleen McGriff Powers and Courtney.