Jean Graham

Jean Clark Ross Graham passed away Monday, Dec. 10, at Corvallis Manor from kidney failure and complications of pneumonia. A resident of Corvallis since 1961, Jean was born in Portland on June 15, 1915, to Dr. Carl T. and Mildred Mae Still Ross. She graduated from Grant High School and went on to Oregon State University, where she graduated with a degree in home economics in 1936. Jean was president of her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, and became the OSU chapter’s permanent alumnae secretary for numerous years. She was also a class officer and a member of Mortar Board honorary. She married Crawford H. “Scram” Graham in Portland on Sept. 8, 1939. Jean accompanied “Scram” in his career as a sales engineer with the Foxboro Company and the Bumstead-Woolford Company in Portland and Seattle. Jean moved to Corvallis when “Scram” accepted the job as director of alumni relations at OSU. In retirement, Jean remained very active in OSU affairs, including co-sponsoring the Jean and C.H. “Scram” Graham award given annually to a person who demonstrates a measure of volunteer service to the Alumni Association far beyond the ordinary. Jean and “Scram” were the initial winners of this award in 2000. In 1982, Jean and “Scram” initiated the Graham Award for outstanding work among the OSU landscaping staff. Jean was an active member of the OSU Thrift Shop and numerous other organizations. A loyal and enthusiastic OSU booster, Jean was able to sit up in her hospital bed among friends to cheer the Beavers on to victory in this year’s Civil War football game. She will be sorely missed by all who knew her; Jean’s example lives on with all of us. A memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15, at McHenry Funeral Home in Corvallis (541-757-8141). In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made in her name to the OSU Alumni Association, Kappa Alpha Theta, the OSU Thrift Shop or a charity of your choice. Jean was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 62 years, “Scram” Graham, who passed away in September 2001. She is survived by her son, William R. Graham, and his wife, Jeanine, of Falls Church, Va.; her brother-in-law, David W. Graham, of Phoenix, Ariz.; as well as one nephew and two nieces and their families, all of the Phoenix area.

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Jean Graham

June 15, 1915 - December 10, 2007