Gippy Graham | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Frankfort | |
| In office January 1, 2009 –January 1, 2013 [1] | |
| Preceded by | Bill May |
| Succeeded by | Bill May |
| Member of the KentuckyHouseofRepresentatives from the 57th district | |
| In office January 1,1995 –January 1,2003 | |
| Preceded by | Hank Hancock |
| Succeeded by | Derrick Graham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Harry Gibson Graham February 14,1929 Franklin County,Kentucky,U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Website | www |
Harry "Gippy" Graham (born February 14,1929) is a retired American politician and educator who served as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives and as mayor of Frankfort,Kentucky. [2]
Graham was born on February 14,1929,in Franklin County,Kentucky [3] [4] to Llewellyn Marshall,a carpenter,and Mattie Fitzgerald Graham,a distillery worker. [5] [6] He is the youngest of five and graduated from the now-defunct Elkhorn High School (now Franklin County) in 1947. [5] He played basketball all four years and served as captain from 1945 to 1946. [7] He served as class president for two years. [7]
Graham earned his associate degree from Cumberland College [5] [8] and a bachelor's degree in sociology and economics from Georgetown College in 1952. [9] [10] [5] He was a basketball player while at Georgetown and initially intended to become a social worker before deciding to work in education. [5] [11]
He served in the United States Air Force between 1954 and 1956. [3] [5] [4] He was initially an Airman stationed at Scott Air Force Base,and was a player coach for the basketball team. [12] When he returned,he worked as a teacher and basketball coach at Georgetown High School before pursuing his master's degree in education administration at the University of Kentucky. [5] After graduating in 1958,he returned to Georgetown and stayed for an additional seven years,where he was a teacher,basketball coach,and at one point even held the role of acting principal. [5] [13] He worked with Bob Davis while at Georgetown High. [10]
He eventually left Georgetown to coach basketball and track and teach at Kentucky Southern College (KSC). [14] [5] KSC folded due to financial problems in 1969 and was absorbed by the University of Louisville. [15] He then worked for the State Highway Department in Frankfort as an administrative assistant from 1969 to 1971 [5] and briefly coached basketball at Danville Bate Junior High in 1971. [15] [10] Graham coached basketball and taught social studies at Boyle County High School from 1971 to 1975. [16] [10] [3] He then served as Director of Community Education at the Kentucky Department of Education for 11 years before resigning in 1987 to focus on his bid for Superintendent of Public Instruction. [5] [17] Graham supported secularism rather than religious instruction in public schools,and did not support banning books unless strictly necessary. [18] He finished fourth of six candidates. [3]
Graham served in Kentucky House of Representatives as a representative for the 57th district for four consecutive terms from 1995 until 2003. [3] He did not run for reelection in 2002. [3] In 2003,he ran for Kentucky's secretary of state against Russ Maple and Joe B. Lanter. [3] His platform included increasing parent involvement;improving early childhood programs,including instituting an all-day kindergarten option rather than only half-day;hiring counselors for elementary schools;and screening students for special needs. [19] He lost to Maple by 3%,or 8,373 votes,in the Democratic primaries. [20]
He was elected Mayor of Frankfort in 2008,succeeding Bill May,who did not seek re-election due to state law prohibiting campaigning for a fourth consecutive term. [21] [22] He was inaugurated on January 1,2009. [23] Graham did not campaign for re-election in 2012 and May was re-elected. [22] [24] [25] [26]
His honors and awards include the National Guard's Kentucky Distinguished Service Award;the Kentucky Court of Justice's Civitas International Award;the Paul Sullivan Award from the Frankfort Area Chamber of Commerce;the Kentucky Public Retiree's Harry Lee Waterfield Award;the National Community Education Hall of Fame;Outstanding Public Servant Award from the Kentucky Academy of Trial Lawyers;Teacher of the Year at Georgetown City Schools;Physical Educator of the Year from Georgetown Optimist Club;Central Kentucky Conference Coach of the Year;Ambassador of Goodwill from the City of Louisville;All-Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference basketball player. [23] [2]
Graham and Carol Miller,who he met while studying at Cumberland College,were engaged in August 1951 and had three children:Lynn,Randy,and Ray. [5] [27] Following their divorce,Graham entered a committed relationship with Karen Schmalzbauer,who has worked extensively in Kentucky's Department of Education. [28] [29] [6] Schmalzbauer is one of the founders of Hope Harbor,a non-profit counseling center that supports survivors of sexual assault and their families. [30] Carol retired from teaching at the Kentucky School for the Deaf and died in 2014. [31] [32] Randy is a children's book author and Emergency Manager, [33] [34] Ray is a high school coach, [35] and Lynne was a housewife. [36]