Leon Norrod Graham

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.

Latest News

Test MN Newsletter - CH

Keep ReadingShow less
Summer Nights of Canaan

Wednesday, July 16

Cobbler n’ Cream
5 to 7 p.m.
Freund’s Farm Market & Bakery | 324 Norfolk Rd.

Canaan Carnival
6 to 10 p.m.
Bunny McGuire Park

Keep ReadingShow less
When the guide gets it wrong

Rosa setigera is a native climbing rose whose simple flowers allow bees to easily collect pollen.

Dee Salomon

After moving to West Cornwall in 2012, we were given a thoughtful housewarming gift: the 1997 edition of “Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs.” We were told the encyclopedic volume was the definitive gardener’s reference guide — a fact I already knew, having purchased one several months earlier at the recommendation of a gardener I admire.

At the time, we were in the thick of winter invasive removal, and I enjoyed reading and dreaming about the trees and shrubs I could plant to fill in the bare spots where the bittersweet, barberry, multiflora rose and other invasive plants had been.Years later, I purchased the 2011 edition, updated and inclusive of plants for warm climates.

Keep ReadingShow less
A few highlights from Upstate Art Weekend 2025

Foxtrot Farm & Flowers’ historic barn space during UAW’s 2024 exhibition entitled “Unruly Edges.”

Brian Gersten

Art lovers, mark your calendars. The sixth edition of Upstate Art Weekend (UAW) returns July 17 to 21, with an exciting lineup of exhibitions and events celebrating the cultural vibrancy of the region. Spanning eight counties and over 130 venues, UAW invites residents and visitors alike to explore the Hudson Valley’s thriving creative communities.

Here’s a preview of four must-see exhibitions in the area:

Keep ReadingShow less