Our friend, Carol Griffee, died this evening around 7:10 p.m. at the Little Rock inpatient unit of Arkansas Hospice. Although her body was failing, her mind stayed sharp until just the last few days. Carol completed all her own burial arrangements weeks ago. She will be buried in Fort Smith. She was adamant that no funeral be held. Her obituary should run in the next few days.

She was a bulldog on public policy right up to the end. Her final project, which she worked on with Dave Kern’s able help, was to bring the right people together to work on policies for better coordination between nursing home and hospice services. She saw first-hand how the system needed improvement and set out to do something about it.

I’m proud to have known Carol and treasure the time we spent together as she made her final journey. We will best honor her memory when we work hard and honestly and remember why the world needs communicators.

Emily Roberts

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She’ll be sorely missed, but she leaves a legacy of toughness and fairness
to which we all should aspire.

— Terry Hawkins, Dumas Clarion,  APW Board Member

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I am grateful that I got to know Carol through my association with Arkansas Press Women, an organization she valued and one which certainly valued her. She was a journalist like no other and Arkansas was certainly very fortunate to have her.  Rest in peace, Carol!

— Ashli Ahrens
Ashli  also shared this link to an Arkansas Blog post in which Max Brantley shares a cute anecdote about Carol:http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2011/01/31/hes-baaaaaack
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“Carol Griffee was a bird dog and a bulldog, driven and relentless in her pursuit of the facts. She was tough but fair, which is one of the highest compliments to pay any journalist. ‘One of a kind’ is often an overused phrase, but the combination of Carol’s tenacity, staunch belief in good government and unique personal character makes her one we won’t see the likes of again anytime soon.”

— Governor Mike Beebe