News

With the coming of a Memorial Day – a day of remembrance for those who have given their lives and service in service to their country – one local Graham man and his family see their military service not as a choice, but a tradition.

Graham native Leon Walker and many of the men in his family have been servicemen, starting in World War II. Walker noticed the trend not long after he started gathering pictures of his relatives.

For the third year in a row, the Food Truck Championship of Texas event will be held on the Graham downtown square. The June 3 event will again be opened by the Possum Pedal bike ride and closed by a concert with three bands performing.

The events will begin with the Possum Pedal early in the morning, that leads into the food truck event, which has brought thousands to Graham in prior years. The day will end at the Young County Arena with a concert headlining Aaron Watson.

The journey to state for the Graham High School UIL One Act Play team brought them good experiences and a prestigious award that showed their skills above all other 4A districts in Texas. Graham made it within the top eight at the competition with their performance of “Wit” by  American playwright Margaret Edson. Junior Jessica Burgess portraying Dr. Vivian Bearing, a university professor of English dying of ovarian cancer, won the Samuel French Award which is the highest award for an actress in UIL. “It’s been incredibly rewarding.

A service to honor Danny Lee Widner, a brother and member of the community in Graham who has been in missing in action from the Vietnam War almost 49 years, will be held on Saturday, May 13, at 2 p.m. at the Pioneer Cemetery gazebo. The service will have speakers from the Graham Presbyterian Church and the Graham Veterans of Foreign Wars, and will lead into a graveside ceremony at Pioneer Cemetery. For Widner’s brother, Don, and his sister, Vicki Gannon, this is a way to give their brother a place at home.

Flowers placed on University of Texas campus picnic tables; hundreds of Graham students and residents bathed in the glow of candlelight; thousands gathered on UT’s main mall, arms raised in the Hook ‘em Horns sign; a fund set up for the family of the victim that’s gathered six figures already. Expressions of grief over the murder of 19-year-old Harrison Brown of Graham have taken many forms. Brown, a UT freshman, was killed in an horrific slashing spree Monday, done by a fellow student wielding a Bowie knife, that also left three other men wounded.

He could sing. And juggle. Play trumpet. Run track. He was so admired and active, he won a scholarship his senior year for being the “All-Around Boy.” But on Monday, his highly promising young life came to a senseless end, on the campus of his beloved University of Texas at Austin, leaving the entire Graham community reeling. Harrison Brown, a 2016 graduate of Graham High School and the son of Dr.