Volunteered for Military Duty and served as an Army Tech Sergeant at Camp Wheeler in Macon, Georgia
after induction at Ft. Jackson
Career
1929‐49 Florence Morning News Sports Editor
1937‐49 Florence Morning News Associate Editor where he wrote “Scene About Town”
and
sports columns and coverage
Federal Probation Officer 1949‐77, Chief of Eastern District
Correspondent to The State, The News and Courier & the Charlotte
Observer for 30 years
Free Lance Journalist publishing stories with the Sandlapper Magazine including Grant
Bennett's Golf Coaching, the Country Club of South Carolina and Scuba Diving
While serving as the Sports Editor of the Florence Morning News, he conceived the idea of a
stadium to honor military veterans (returning & deceased) and wrote columns which led
to the fund raising project to build Memorial Stadium which opened in 1949
Community
Along with his friend Ira Rainwater, they established the trophy given to the best
Florence
High School/McClenaghan High School Athlete from 1947 to 1975 and it is back in existence
today, recognizing the Best Atletes, male and female Senior Athlete from the
Florence
District #1 High Schools
He was the driving force in the development of the inter‐city leagues of teams from area
cities and served as the official scorekeeper
Served as the official scorekeeper for the Class B Tri State Baseball League
Served as the official scorekeeper and wrote play by play for the Regional American Legion
baseball
tournaments
Official scorekeeper for all Florence High School football & basketball games
Helped to start the Florence Recreation Industrial Basketball Leagues
Served on the Board of Directors for 6 years to the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame
Aided deserving Florence youth into the Carolina's Boxing Hall of Fame
Served twice as the Yellow Jacket Booster Club President setting new membership records both
times
and encouraged Christian Lives from all Athletes
Served three years on the Florence County election commission
Served as Hearing Officer to Florence School District 1 & 4
Served on the Pee Dee Lung Board for 50 years and chair twice
Life member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board where he served for 50 years and as chair for
one
term
Served on Baptist Courier Board of Directors for 15 years
Active member of Gideon beginning in 1967
Active with the Retired Federal employees after retirement in 1997
Life Member and editor of the SC Congress of Parents and Teachers Newsletter for three years
Requested by family members, he assisted with 45 funerals and a was regular visitor to
local
hospitals for over 50 years
1987 Recieved the & ldquo;Service to Mankind” Award from Florence Sertoma Club
1988‐89 “Citizen of the Year Award” from Florence Civitan Club
1997 “Merit Award” as Honorary Chaplain at McLeod Medical Center
December 28, 1997 was “Mabel and Roy Graham Day” at First Baptist Church and
“Mabel and Roy Graham Appreciation Day” by the City of Florence and Mayor Frank
Willis
Received the “Edward A. McDowell Award” from the Christian Life and Public
Affairs Committee of the SC Baptist Convention for “demonstrating Christianity in daily
actions by touching the lives with the gospel and applying Christianity in public life in
exceptional ways”
1998 Received the “Support Award” from the Pee Dee Community Action Agency
Transitional
Shelter