By Cheryl Smith
Texas Metro News
1950-2026
“A B C Always Benefiting Children” served as her mantra, motto, and legacy.
At the end of her latest term, community leader and servant Linda Lorraine Reed Griffin would have served nearly 30 years as a trustee for the Garland DISD.
Often referred to as a trailblazer, she had many firsts in her career, and she also worked to ensure others followed her.
Expressions of love, respect, and sympathy began flooding social media platforms once word of her death was shared.
“My family, staff, and I are deeply saddened by the passing of this devoted Garland ISD trustee, public servant, and dear friend,” said Texas State Representative Rhetta Bowers. “Today, we begin the difficult process of officially saying farewell to a woman so many of us loved like a sister, an auntie, or a cousin.”
For Bowers, Griffin was the “ultimate coach—always encouraging, guiding, and believing in others. To know Linda was truly to love her.”
“Her unwavering commitment to our students, educators, families, and schools reflected her genuine heart for service and profound love for the Garland ISD community. Linda’s leadership and many contributions will leave a lasting impact on the countless lives she touched,” she added.
Garland ISD Superintendent Dr. Ricardo López’s message on the District website reads:
“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn Mrs. Linda L. Griffin’s passing,” said Superintendent Dr. Ricardo López. “This is a tremendous loss for Garland ISD and the countless students, educators, families, and community members whose lives she touched. Our deepest condolences are with her family, friends, colleagues, and all who are grieving. Mrs. Griffin will be deeply missed, and the love she gave and the difference she made will live on for generations.”
“With a tenure that spanned decades, Linda Griffin not only blazed trails as GISD’s first Black trustee and Board President, but she also worked tirelessly to positively impact the lives of thousands of children across multiple generations. Her impact and legacy will be felt as long as there is a Garland ISD,” said Wes Johnson, Garland Board President 2026
Community servant leader Gwendolyn H. Daniels also shared her thoughts with the Garland Journal.
“We suffered a great loss here in the northeast corridor of Texas,” she said. “She leaves a deep legacy of advocating for our most precious human resource, and that’s our youth. The void that Linda leaves is huge.”
Daniels currently serves as the Garland Martin Luther King Events Coordinator, and she recalled the two ladies constantly crossed paths in their work with everything from education initiatives, voter engagement, church, and civic/community involvement.
Hailing from Lakeland, FL, where she was valedictorian of the Rochelle Junior/Senior High School, Trustee Griffin received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Management from Tennessee State University, where she was also initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and involved in the student government association and a member of the National Honor Society. She went on to Columbia University, where she obtained a Master’s Degree in Business/Commerce.
In addition to her distinguished career on the School Board, her impressive professional career includes being a system engineer at EDS, Vice President at Alianz Life, Co-Founder of St. Mark Institutional Baptist Church with her husband, the late Rev. Dr. Roosevelt A. Griffin, and DEI/Project Management Consultant at LINDCO, Inc.
Trustee Griffin served as the immediate past President of the Garland Independent School District board of trustees.
She served as the assistant secretary, and has the distinction of being the only board member of the current seven-member board to serve three terms as board president.
Throughout her tenure as trustee, she has diligently served the students and communities of Garland, Rowlett and Sachse, Texas. Elected to the position in May of 1998, Mrs. Linda Griffin made history as the first African American to serve as school board trustee in Garland Independent School District.She is also the proud mother of the multi-talented artist, songwriter and vocalist Reuben Lael Griffin, proud son and graduate of Garland High School. Reuben has followed in his mother’s educational footsteps and has completed both a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master’s in Public Administration at Southern University A & M, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
IN HER WORDS (following her last election in 2025:
I thank you for the continued honor of serving as your school board trustee. I have grown in knowledge, cultural traditions, compassion and community through our conversations and time together. Your support has made Garland Independent School District GREAT! As I begin my next three-year term, I remain as committed as ever to the success of every child in our district.
My love for children and my unwavering belief that every child can succeed—if adults provide the right pathways, programs, and resources—continue to guide every decision I make. The challenges in public education become more complex every day, but the mission remains the same: to ensure that all students have access to opportunities that prepare them for a life with promising future.
My motto, “Always Benefiting Children,” is just as relevant today as it was in 1998. It is the foundation of my service and the promise I will continue to uphold. “It is not about how much you get paid, but instead what you give back,” I will keep serving. By giving back
Let us all remember: “Education is the only true equalizer.” When we invest in our children, we invest in a stronger, more just, and more hopeful tomorrow.”
Services were held on Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at St. Luke Community United Methodist Church 5710 E R L Thornton Fwy, Dallas, TX 75223.
Education
- Tennessee State University – Nashville, Tennessee, Bachelor of Arts
- Columbia University – New York, New York, Post Master’s Studies
- Trinity Valley Baptist Seminary and College – Kennedale, Texas, Christian Education
Public Civic Offices Held
- Co-Founder, St. Mark Institutional Baptist Church
- Leadership Garland Steering Committee Chairperson
- Christian Education Facilitator
- GISD School Board – ABC Motto of Service: “Always Benefiting Children”
- Assistant Secretary, Vice President, Secretary
- President 2007, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2023
- Facility Committee Chairperson
- Garland Economic Development Partnership Chairperson
- Texas Association of School Boards Director
- Garland & Vicinity Minister’s Wives Alliance Charter Member & President
- Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir Coordinator
Affiliations
- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. –Alpha Xi Omega Chapter
- North Texas Area Association of School Board Members
- Tennessee State University Alumni Association (Life Member)
- National Association of Female Executives
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (Life Member)
- National Association of School Board Members
- National/Texas Caucus of Black School Board Members
- National/Texas Alliance of Black School Educators
- Almond Fellowship
- TASB School Board Advocacy Network
- Council of Urban School Boards
- LIGHT Advisory Council
- African American Advisory Council
- Garland Area Alliance of Black School Educators
Awards and Achievements
- Outstanding Texan Award for 2019 – Texas Legislative Black Caucus
- Trustee of the Year 2019 – Texas Alliance of Black School Educators (TABSE)
- Dallas County Commissioner’s Distinguished Service Award for 2017 – Dallas County Commissioner’s Court
- Woman of the Year –National Business and Professional Women (Dallas) – 2011
- National PTA Life Member Award 2009
- Garland ISD Council of PTA–Legislative Award 2009
- NAACP – Honoring First Ladies Award 2007
- Superb Woman – Texas Metro News
- Texas Black Caucus of School Boards– Regional VP Award 2004-2006
- Leadership Award – Texas Alliance of Black School Educators 2002-2004
- Texas Police Officers Award – Dallas – Co-Educational Excellence Award 2001
- Leadership Texas Association of School Boards Graduate (Master Trustee)–Class of 2001
- Garland Branch NAACP Black History Award 2001
- Texas PTA Life Member Award 2001
- Garland Chamber of Commerce 1999/2000 Service Award
- Leadership Garland Steering Committee Chairman of the Year Award 2000
- Main Street Garland Community Award-First Black GISD Board Member 2000
- Leadership Garland Graduate–Class XVII-1998
- Outstanding Young Woman in America
- Garland Alliance of Black School Educators Life Membership
