ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – The man who served as the head of St. Louis Lambert International Airport for more than two decades was laid to rest on Tuesday.
A procession of family and friends followed the late Colonel Leonard Griggs as he passed the airport on the way to his final resting place at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
“He loved the City of St. Louis,” daughter Julia Griggs said. “He loved the people and he loved the vision of the future.”
Griggs graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and spent 23 years in the Air Force. A decorated combat pilot in Vietnam, he received two Purple Hearts, a Silver Star, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, 22 air medals, and the Vietnamese Medal of Honor for his service.
In the 1970s, he moved from the Military Airlift Command at Scott Air Force Base to St. Louis Lambert International Airport. He served from 1977 to 1987 and again from 1993 until his retirement in 2004.
With his handlebar mustache and sometimes brusque approach, Griggs oversaw the $1 billion airport runway expansion.
“Once he retired, he took the grandchildren and the grandparents’ trips overseas,” granddaughter Renee Blair said. “The parents didn’t get to go, but I’ll never forget our very first trip with him, he forgot his mustache wax at home. We spent the first day in London trying to find mustache wax, which wasn’t that hard to find in London. He loved his mustache; it was amazing.”
Griggs’ family says his dedication to the airport and his country is what he will be most remembered for.
“Get out, vote, serve your country, and be proud to be an American,” Julia Griggs said. “That’s what he would want everyone to know.”
