Leon Norrod Graham
obituaries

Leon Norrod Graham

SALISBURY — Leon Norrod Graham was born in Mercedes, Texas, on Oct. 30, 1940. He passed away on Sunday, April 20, in Salisbury.

Leon’s parents were Leon R. Graham and Mary Norrod Graham. He is survived by his brother, Sam, his niece Mary Louise Pozaric, her husband Nichola Pozaric and their two sons, Graham and Reese. His father graduated from college at 17 and went on to a long career in public education. He retired as an Assistant Commissioner of Education for the State of Texas. His mother, a graduate of Baylor University, held a master in Mathematics from the University of Texas and various elected positions in Austin and statewide teacher organizations. Leon followed in his father’s footsteps by skipping the first grade and marching through elementary, junior high and high school with one A after another, no matter the subject. In 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the United States set up special six week courses in advanced mathematics that summer for rising high school students. Leon was one of 25 students selected from Texas for the program held at Rice University.

Upon graduation from high school in 1958, he was admitted into the prestigious Plan II program at the University of Texas at Austin. He graduated with honor degrees in history and journalism. He later earned a master’s in history from Southern Methodist University.

In 1969, he relocated to New York City where he learned direct marketing at American Express. Subsequently he served as Executive Vice President at Columbia Record Club, moved to Scali McCabe Sloves where he assisted in setting up their direct marketing arm and from there became Executive Vice President of the BMG Record Club.

In 2004, following a major health crisis, he moved to Salisbury where, for several years, he was employed by The Lakeville Journal as an art, music, film and theater critic.

He was a Board Member of the Scoville Memorial Library and served a term as President of the Salisbury Forum.

He was very happy in Salisbury until his last years when recurrent health problems caused a diminution in his quality of life.

His family would like to thank the Noble Horizons Staff, the Hospice program that managed his last days and his long time care giver Mo Buri.

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