Sara E.  James, MS MD PhD DABA-PM, has created the Griffin Hale James Memorial Scholarship Fund to honor her late husband, Griffin, a man whose legacy of quiet support, hard work, and dedication to community was evident in every facet of his life. This scholarship, aimed at helping undergraduate students further their education at the Gies College of Business, reflects Griffin’s dedication to higher education and his deep commitment to his community.

Sara and Griffin’s story began in Boston. She was immersed in her work as a resident physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, while he was launching a successful corporate real estate and business consulting career at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. Griffin grew up in small town Western Massachusetts, bushwhacking his parents’ backyard to build his own ski runs. After graduating from Brown University in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, where he was also a captain of the downhill ski racing team, he intended to “build big buildings”. He moved to Boston with his lifelong best friends from Brown after graduation and did just this for a few years at Gilbane Building Company, but knew that he wanted to further his education. He was accepted to both business and law school and, at the last minute, committed to Harvard Business School, where he finished his MBA in 2008.  

“He always joked that he kind of fell into his business career, that he went to Harvard on a whim,” Sara said. “But I know it was meant to be because his HBS section mates remain some of his most loyal friends even after his death.”

“People First”

Despite his Ivy League credentials, Griffin remained grounded. After business school graduation, he worked hard in entry-level positions, first at Trammell Crow and then at Deloitte. He quickly rose in the ranks, believing in the value of doing the right thing, not the easy thing.

“He was always the same kid who grew up in a small town and painted houses to make money,” Sara said. “He never asked anyone to give him anything. He always did the work. He didn’t buy the fancy watch or the car. Instead, he invested his time and energy in the people around him, especially in education.”

Griffin’s dedication extended beyond his professional life. He took it upon himself to mentor undergraduate students interested in business school, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. He took first-generation college students to get fitted for suits and treated them to dinners, encouraging them to believe in their potential.

“Griffin believed that if they were willing to put in the work, he was willing to back them up,” Sara recalled. “He always said, ‘People first. Then things. Then money.’”

It was that kind of generosity that made Griffin’s passing all the more devastating. He died unexpectedly at the age of 42 on July 30, 2022, just five months after their wedding, two days after he made partner at Deloitte and two weeks after relocating from Boston to Champaign, IL, leaving Sara and their unborn son behind.

“The grief is something you can’t imagine until you’re in it,” Sara said. “You don’t know what you can do when you have no other choice. You just keep going.”

Belief in Gies Business Vision

Now, nearly three years later, Sara has found a way to channel her grief into something that honors Griffin’s memory and the values he held dear. Dedication to higher education and to championing those around them had always been central to Griffin and Sara’s shared values, and the decision to establish the Griffin Hale James Memorial Fund at Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois was a natural one.

“Gies Business is the perfect combination of both of us,” Sara said.

A proud alumna, Sara earned both her MD (2017) and PhD (Neuroscience, 2014) at the University of Illinois. After she accepted her position as an Interventional Pain physician at Christie Clinic (Champaign, IL), Griffin went “all in” in his support of Gies Business and the University of Illinois. He met with Jeff Brown, the College’s dean at the time, and pledged his support to Gies Business students through offers to teach and mentor.

“Griffin told everyone back in Boston that he was ‘all in with the orange and blue,’” Sara said. Further, she believes in the direction Gies is headed under the leadership of the current dean, Brooke Elliott. “I continue to be impressed by Dean Elliott and her mission for the College. She drives innovation and sees a place for every student at Gies, a vision I know Griffin would strongly support as well.”

Through this memorial fund, Sara hopes to continue Griffin’s work, ensuring that others can access the resources and support he so eagerly provided during his lifetime. Sara’s decision to establish the fund also has personal significance.

"Our son will never meet his father, will never know the amazing dad he was so excited to be," Sara said.

Through this scholarship, she aims to ensure that Griffin’s impact continues to be felt in the lives of students and to set the example for his son that the education of his community is worth investing in.

Today, when Sara travels with their son, Peter, she notices the quiet, observant nature that mirrors Griffin’s own. “He’s very calm, deliberate in his actions and intentional with his words,” Sara said. As her son grows, she sees in him the continuation of Griffin’s legacy, a testament to the enduring impact of his values—and a reminder of the powerful difference one person can make.

Through the Griffin Hale James Memorial Fund, his record of supporting education and community will continue to inspire and empower future generations of Gies students.

“Education meant so much to Griffin,” Sara said. “He believed in education and believed in the community and the people around him.” This scholarship fund, Sara hopes, will ensure that Griffin’s values and spirit live on, creating opportunities for students who embody the same drive and dedication that he so admired.

To learn more about how to support this fund in memory of Griffin, please contact Rebecca Pagels at rpagels@illinois.edu or visit this link.