Grounds Manager of the Mar-a-Lago Estate Retires

 

Grounds Manager of the Mar-a-Lago Estate Retires

After six-decades, James B. Griffin Jr. is hanging up his hat for good as manager of the famed Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. Once owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post and E.F. Hutton, and now Donald Trump, the estate is as old as Griffin, 79, and has a storied history. His father was hired by Post as the original estate manager, and in 1953 Griffin Jr. succeeded him and held the job until his semi-retirement in 1993. He had still been working part-time until his effective retirement at the beginning of June. Though he managed several aspects of the estate, Griffin told the Middletown Journal that his favorite part was working outside. “Landscaping is the thing people see first, and it looks magnificent when cared for. Back then, we raised our own roses, all our flowers,” he said. The estate passed through many hands until Trump purchased and completely restored it. He did so only on the agreement that Griffin would stay on to manage it. “Mr. Trump is due a lot of credit,” Griffin said. “He showed the old guard of Palm Beach his respect for Mrs. Post and for the history behind it.” Griffin said his decision to fully retire was because he did not want to “become deadwood.” Shawn McCabe, who has managed several construction projects, will take over for Griffin. — Source: Middletown Journal