La Canada   1953-1958

Meanwhile, the family was growing up. John completely landscaped the front and back yard, building cement-block retaining walls in the back yard and an eight-foot high and 80 foot long wall cement-block wall along the property line to the west of the house, as the neighbor's house was built just a few feet across the property line. The house also had a cesspool as there was no sewer system in LaCanada. When the original cesspool did not serve the needs of the family, John dug a second cesspool, a hole 8 feet wide and 20 feet deep in the front yard. This took a considerable toll on John's back. He would come in after a Saturday's work on the walls and lay on the living room floor to ease his back. The problem got bad enough that he finally had surgery where three vertebrae were fused together. This never did completely relieve his back pain which continued through the rest of his life.

As the Korean conflict took hold in 1951, cars were once again hard to get and John had to go to Utah in order to buy a new 1951 Ford to replace the now elderly 1940 Pontiac. The Ford was loaded with everything, including little plastic "angel wings" at the tail, but in order for John to acquire a car he had to take it or leave it, so he bought the Ford. In 1954 at the conclusion of the Korean conflict, new cars were still hard to find, and Dorothy wanted one for her needs. She decided to pick one up at the factory in Flint, Michigan, so she ordered it, and left the kids in Ogden and took the train back to Flint where she picked up the car. It was a two-toned Buick, bright yellow on the sides and hood, and white on the top. The local teen-agers thought it was a cool looking car. Dorothy's mother joined the family and resided with them until her death in 1965. She was a wonderful maker of bread and scones from the leftover dough. John's mother and father celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1955, and his grandmother Smith passed away in the same year. In 1956 the Los Angeles temple was dedicated and John and the boys attended a dedication assembly. John Robert graduated from high school and started college at Stanford university.


YEAR (FILE ) SUBJECT
---- ------- ---------------------------------------
1953 (8003) The Griffin family
1953 (9085) John Griffin High Priest certificate
1953 (9074) John Griffin line of ordination
1953 (4014) Griffin Family lined up
1956 (9075) John Griffin temple recommend - Los Angeles temple dedication
1954 (4060) Dorothy Griffin and Sarah Jane Israelson
1954 (4013) Griffin family at dinner
1955 (0001) location of cesspool
1955 (4069) The Griffin family
1955 (4074) John and Dorothy Griffin
1955 (4808) Dorothy Griffin and Taffy
1956 (8012) John Griffin and sons
1956 (4671) John and Dorothy Griffin - Las Vegas
1958 (4304) Dorothy Griffin and '54 Buick

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