LUBBOCK, Texas -- Truckstop entrepreneur Bobbie Ray “Rip” Griffin has passed away at age 87.
Born into Depression-era poverty in Matador, Texas, Griffin began work at an early age, delivering papers and driving a truck. That one truck turned into a single Lubbock, Texas, truckstop that then grew into a multifaceted trucking and petroleum company with interests all across the Western United States.
He founded Rip Griffin Truck Service Center Inc. and Pro Petroleum Inc. in 1964 and 1989, serving as CEO. Griffin spent 45 years in the development and management of truckstops and related businesses after opening his first truckstop in Lubbock in 1962, according to Bloomberg.
The Rip Griffin Cos. includes nine Rip Griffin Travel centers, terminal operations for wholesale commercial fuel storage and sales, wholesale oil and lube products and bulk fuel transportation services.
Griffin sold the company in 2004, reported the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
Griffin served on numerous civic and bank boards and donated to Lubbock Christian University and Texas Tech University’s academic and athletic programs. LCU’s Rip Griffin Center and Texas Tech’s Rip Griffin Baseball Park serve as lasting reminders of his belief in the importance of athletics in young people’s lives.
Through his experience at Lubbock High and Texas Tech, Griffin developed a passion for the game of baseball, which fueled his sponsorship for more than four decades of the Lubbock Hubber baseball club, a semiprofessional team that brought home numerous state titles.
Griffin is survived by his wife, Geneva, five children and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
There will be a memorial service to celebrate Griffin’s life on June 27 at Broadway Church of Christ in Lubbock. In lieu of flowers, suggested memorials are Lubbock Christian University, Texas Tech University and the Children’s Home of Lubbock. CSP sends condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
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