Robert Griffith, 71, chair of American University history department

Historian Robert GriffithRobert Griffith, of American University, died on January 25, 2011. A gifted administrator and scholar, he served the American Historical Association as co-moderator of the department chairs’ listserv and as chair of the Local Arrangements Committee for the 2004 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. The Organization of American Historians awarded him the Roy Rosenzweig Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions as treasurer from 2008–10.

Griffith was chair of the department of history at American University from 2004–10 and was provost from 1995–97. He was committed to increasing the presence of women and minorities on the faculty and staff and increasing the use of information technology on campus. He was also a staunch supporter of public history....