Vance “Griff” Daniels Sr. remembers sawing logs at the age of 12 in North Carolina to help support his family.

Daniels held the handle on one end of a long saw and a man held the handle on the other end.

“He would get 75 cents an hour,” Daniels said. “I would get 25 cents – for the same saw.”

Daniels was born in Norfolk, Va., in 1941 and moved to North Carolina with his 11 siblings and their parents when he was 6 years old. He walked three or four miles to a segregated elementary school.

Daniels began working in the fields at age 9 or 10 in North Carolina, picking potatoes, strawberries, cabbage and peanuts. He drove a tractor at age 11.

“You didn’t know you were poor, whatever color, because everyone was on the same level down there,” Daniels said. “You worked together.”

There was discrimination and occasional violence, but Daniels said those are not the lessons he took from the fields.

“There are bad people in any race,” he said. "There are good people in any race. … Color don’t make no difference to me.”

Daniels credits his parents for setting a good example for him.

“They were my mentors,” he said. “If it’s instilled in you, it will carry over. That’s the way I am. I treat people like I want to be treated. I don’t get into arguments with people. That’s your way, this is my way.”

Daniels recently celebrated his 85th birthday with about 190 family and friends at the Lincoln Community Center in his longtime hometown, where he built a home in 1964 and raised six children.

He is the grandfather of 16, great-grandfather to 14 and great-great-grandfather of one child.

Sitting on his porch overlooking a farm field on a sunny June 23 afternoon, Daniels spoke about moving to Delaware with his family when he was 15.

He had earned 40 cents an hour working in North Carolina fields harvesting crops. In Delaware, he was paid $1.10 an hour for the same work.

Daniels became involved in politics and civic activities nearly 60 years ago. His employer, I.G. Burton, owner of what is now i.g. Burton Auto Group, asked him to encourage people in his community to support a specific candidate for office.

“I’ve been in politics since I was 24 years old,” Daniels said. “I was the kind of person who wanted to know what’s going on.”

That began six decades of community involvement, both elected and appointed, in his community, statewide and on the national level.

Daniels’ first time serving on a board was for the Sussex County Advisory Committee on Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities. He recently served two terms as president of the Lincoln Community Center.

Along the way, he sat on state panels, including the Medical Practice and Unemployment Board. He still serves on the Board of Professional Land Surveyors and the Board of Funeral Services.

He notes he was appointed by three governors.

Daniels was the first African-American member of the Milford School Board, serving for 15 years. 

He was chair of Delaware’s 36th Representative District Democratic Committee and represented the state as a delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention.

He ran for political office in 2000 as he sought the 36 District seat.

“I didn’t do too good, but it was a good experience,” he said. “A little bit of trial and error.”

Both major political parties have their problems, Daniels said. While some political tradeoffs have been frustrating and he can’t always accomplish what he thinks is best, Daniels believes politics can accomplish good in the community.

“You get the best you can out of it,” he said.

Daniels’ daughter, Loretta Benson, followed his path into politics and has served as Sussex County Democratic Party chair for the past two years. 

“She’s the one that probably takes after me,” he said. “She’ll call me when she needs good advice.”

After working for 23 years for i.g.  Burton Auto Group, Daniels set out on his own in 1985, opening Griff Daniels and Sons Auto Body & Paint Shop behind his home. The shop is still in business, run by a man who has worked with him for 30 years. Daniels stopped working after knee replacement surgeries.

Daniels said the challenges of his childhood help shape his life in countless ways. He said he believes it is important to help others.

“You never know when people are down or something and you say something nice to them,” Daniels said. “You never know when you help people. It doesn’t take much.”

He said he is glad to have good health and a sharp mind, and he lives comfortably on a pension and Social Security.

“I’m kind of glad I came through that to realize what life is all about,” he said. “I never forget where I came from. Compared to back then, I’m a millionaire.”