James Graham

James Graham

June 26, 1925 - February 23, 2025

Born in Ponte Nova, Bahia, Brazil, he was the oldest of four sons of Ruth and Irvine Graham, Presbyterian missionaries. At age 14, he shipped to the United States for high school. During World War II, he served in the Navy, ending in the Marianas Islands. He graduated from Tarkio College (long defunct), then did graduate work at Harvard University (still solvent). He worked at Central College in Iowa for 45 years as teacher, coach, academic dean, and interim president, and was most proud of having helped launch, nurse, and nourish study abroad programs in Europe, the UK, Mexico, and China.

In 1948 he married Phyllis Currie. They had four children (Gordon, Laurel, Gifford, Leslie), all strong, good looking, far above average, and themselves parents and grandparents. In 1985, Jim married a fellow teacher, Martha Betancourt, from Havana, Cuba, already the mother of MariaCarla and Julio.

In 2000, Martha and Jim retired to Sierra Vista, Arizona. Here Jim lived his last years, encouraged by the saints at Faith Presbyterian, entertained by calls from far flung children, and lovingly sustained by his young wife. Of Jim it should be said he read too many books, helped his wife too little, and hung around too long.

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