Chatfield Instructor Lonnie Griffith Selected as GC3 ‘Excellence in Teaching’ Recipient

Lonnie (middle) is pictured with Chatfield’s Dean, Dr. Peter Hanson and Janet Piccirillo, Executive Director of GC3

Lonnie Griffith is Chatfield College’s 2018 Dean Agatha Fitzgerald OSU Excellence in Teaching Award and the Greater Cincinnati Collegiate Connection (“GC3”) Celebration of Teaching honoree. The award was presented at the 31st Celebration of Teaching ceremony held on Monday, October 15th at Northern Kentucky University.

Lonnie received his master’s degree is History from Miami University, with specialties in African American History and Military History. Previous to teaching at the collegiate level, he taught social studies classes for grades fifth through eighth in the Cincinnati area for 12 years. For the past eight years, Lonnie has taught a wide range of college courses, primarily at Chatfield College. in 2017, Lonnie became the Humanities Department Chair for Chatfield, teaching at both the St. Martin and Over-the-Rhine campuses.

On campus, Lonnie is a very active faculty member. He chairs the chess club, coined Wednesdays as “Popcorn Wednesday”, and is a regular volunteer at student and college events. He also puts together educational displays for students at both campuses, using historical props and artifacts.

He enjoy participating in a variety of living history and historical reenactment activities, especially those involving the Civil War. Griffith also serves a trustee for the U.S. Grant Homestead Association in Georgetown, and a docent for both Grant museums located in Georgetown.

In May of 2018, Lonnie published his first book, Almost Famous: Thomas Lyon Hamer, the Congressman Who Made Ulysses Simpson Grant. Because no previous book had ever been written, this project required a great deal of research. In honor of his work. Lonnie was awarded certificates from both the Ohio General Assembly and the Brown County Commissioners proclaiming August 8 as Thomas Lyon Hamer Day.

Along with his Scottish Terrier, Lonnie lives in Georgetown where he helps research and preserve local history. He has just begun work on his second Thomas Lyon Hamer book.