“Always Reach for the Stars”: A Profile of Kay Paden Griffin

Hugh and Kay Paden Griffin

“Always reach for the stars.” “You may not get there, but you’ll go further than if you didn’t try.” “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” And “they could be anything they wanted to be.” That is Charles Benjamin Paden’s advice for his high achieving daughters Phyllis Kay (Kay) and her older sister Patricia Ann (Pat). Both daughters became registered Civil Engineers. Their father, Charles Benjamin Paden, was born Oct 17, 1898, in Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, Eastern Oklahoma.  Charles was 1/16 Cherokee Native American; Charles’ father, George Washington Paden, was born in Stillwell, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory on August 10, 1874, and was 1/8 Cherokee Native American. However, in the 1900 Census he was identified “mixed blood: one half.”

Patricia Ann (born June 19, 1940) and Phyllis Kay (born August 27, 1941) were both born in Muskogee, OK.  Around 1943 the family moved to Castro Valley, near Oakland, CÅ, where her father was employed in shipbuilding.  After the war the family returned to OK, then on to Vermillion, OH. Charles became a large project construction electrician. In 1950 the family moved to Philadelphia, PA, where Charles became an electrician at the Cuneo Eastern Press Inc.—a job that would keep him in one place while his daughters finished school.

In early 1953, Charles was diagnosed with colon cancer, and following surgery, he was able to go back to work for less than a year. The cancer had returned and had metastasized. In late 1954, the girls decided they wanted to find work to help with finances. Pat, 15, and Kay, 14, found holiday seasonal part time jobs at a SunRay Drug Store in Germantown, approximately 12 miles from home. Their mother, Agnes, also got a holiday seasonal job at the same SunRay Drug store in the cosmetic department. They were exceptional employees. The girls continued working through high school and their mother got a full time job in the cosmetic department in a store closer to home.

In the winter of 1958/59, Kay’s senior year in high school and Pat’s freshman year at Drexel Institute of Technology, their mother Agnes came down with another bout of rheumatic fever and had to take 6-8 weeks off work. Because of their father’s illness, this was the only source of income other than Kay’s part-time weekend job. In order to save money, Kay was able to work the late shift, 3 PM-10:30 PM. They made Agnes’ shift change to fit Kay’s school schedule. Kay worked until Agnes could return to work. 

During this time they were also caring for their father. Charles fought a long battle of colon cancer from early 1953 and died May 18, 1960; he is buried in Lawnview Cemetery, in Rockledge, a suburb of Philadelphia. The girls and their mother Agnes moved to an apartment near Rockledge.

In the mid 1960s, Pat and Kay left home. Pat moved to Utah where she would later complete her Civil Engineering degree at the University of Utah. Kay had graduated from Drexel as a Civil Engineer at a time when less than 1/2 of 1% of graduates were women. She then moved to Leesville, LA, home of Ft. Polk where her new husband Hugh Griffin was a 1st lieutenant in the Army Corp of Engineers.  Hugh and Kay were married August 29, 1964.

In December 1964, after Hugh was released from active duty, they made a trip to Disneyland and to Los Angeles to explore a job offer Kay had received in Philadelphia from the California Division of Highways. At that time, most engineer job openings said “Male Only Apply.” California was an Equal Opportunity Employer, so Kay and Hugh both accepted engineering jobs and embarked on their careers in Los Angeles (District 07) in January of 1965.  So from about December 10th to January 1st, they had to return to Baltimore, MD, where Hugh’s parents lived, to pack Hugh’s things, and then back to Philadelphia where Agnes had left their apartment “as is” after a move to Las Vegas, NV, where Agnes’ mother, Maude, had been living with her daughter, Agnes’ sister.  Hugh and Kay sorted and packed everything, and in late December, they had Agnes’ belongings moved to where she and Maude had an apartment in Las Vegas, where Agnes worked in a drug store cosmetic department.  They also sent Pat’s belongings to Utah, and the remaining stuff went to Santa Monica, CA to await Hugh and Kay’s new home address.

In the late 1960s, Agnes and Maude moved closer to Kay and Hugh in West LA. Agnes continued to work cosmetics in drug stores in Beverly Hills.

In July 1970, Kay and Hugh transferred to Redding, CA (District 02). Their two sons were born in Redding: Scott Thomas on December 28, 1972 and Timothy (Tim) Michael on July 9, 1974. In July of 1976 another career change took the Griffins to Sacramento to work for Caltrans (Hugh) and the Department of Water Resources Headquarters (Kay). Agnes and Maude also moved to Sacramento in the fall of 1976.

Agnes helped babysit the boys until Scott entered high school in 1986.  At the age of 89, Agnes died on November 25, 2002. Agnes is buried with her husband Charles in Lawnview Cemetery, in Rockledge, PA. Hugh and Kay are proud grandparents of their son Tim and his wife Courtney’s identical twin girls, Olivia and Delancey (18); also of their son Scott and his wife Mary’s son, Bailey (10) and daughter, Zoe (almost 9).

Kay has impressive firsts in her successful career: she was the first woman Office Engineer at Caltrans, Sacramento with a staff of 174 responsible for advertising, bid opening, and awarding all construction contracts $300,000 and greater; maintaining the standard plans and special provisions; and conducting any necessary hearings. The staff was also responsible for the three day advertising, bid opening, awarding on the same day emergency contracts used during major earthquakes or other major emergencies. She was the first woman in Caltrans (formerly Division of Highways, Los Angeles, District 07) to be assigned to a field survey crew during rotation of new engineers. Some awards Kay received were 1993 Engineer of the Year by the Women Construction Owners & Executives (WCOE) and 1992/3 Engineer of the Year by the California Transportation Foundation (CTF).

Kay has always known she was a Cherokee, though she only recently learned about (and became members) of CNCV. Through their genealogy research at the Sacramento Family Search Library, located at 2745 Eastern Ave., Sacramento, Hugh was assisted by fellow CNCV member Cassie Heywood. They learned about CNCV and discovered Kay and Cassie have Cherokee family (Paden) connections.

Kay told me she is Proud to be Cherokee, and she has enrolled her sons, Tim, (who has enrolled his daughters) and Scott (who has submitted documentation to enroll his children) as well.  During the Trail of Tears, her family traveled along the Benge Route, which terminated in Stilwell. The former town of Paden is nearby. Kay’s great-great-grandfather Benjamin Franklin Paden was called “Big Elk”.

Kay’s family surnames include Paden, Morrissette, Smith, Fitzwater, Goddard, Vickery, Black, Cordery, Miller, and McCoy or Hicks.

Paden (or Peden) is Dutch for “pad”; Scottish for “path or track,” “one who makes his living from the land,” or “dweller in the open field.”

Kay and Hugh have done extensive family genealogy.  Be sure to meet and share family history with them next time you see them at a CNCV event!

Submitted by Mike Webb, from in person interview and documents provided Kay and Hugh