The Rev. Dr. Doris Graham has devoted her life to education and serving others.
From being the selected the “teacher” when kids in her neighborhood played school,
to completing college and then serving as a teacher and administrator, and finally
to service on school boards, Graham has spent the majority of her 75 years pushing
herself and others to embrace lifelong learning.
In recognition of that devotion, Graham will receive the Lifetime Achiever Award at
the St. Louis American Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Education virtual gala
Oct. 17.
Graham’s fondest childhood memories revolved around education.
“My mother (Josephine Dampier) always pushed education, and to do my best in school,”
Graham said. “At church, Pastor Samuel F. Rabun would always tell us to take the textbook
in one hand and the bible in the other and go marching up the King’s Highway. He reminded
us that we can become anything in life.”
Growing up in Clayton, Graham attended Attucks Elementary School, a one-room segregated
schoolhouse right down the street from where her mother and she lived her aunt and
uncle, Annie B. and Ike Sevier, and their four children, Ike Jr., Beatrice, Brenda
and Mark. Graham gave high marks to her teacher, Ms. V. Willene Jackson, who taught
her from kindergarten through second grade.
When her family moved to St. Louis the following school year, Graham said she continued
to have amazing teachers that heavily influenced her.
“Though they never directly told me to become a teacher, I was inspired by how they
seemed to care about me and the children they taught,” Graham said.
As her educational journey continued, Graham earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary
education from Harris Teachers College (now Harris-Stowe State University), a master’s
degree in elementary administration/principalship from the University of Missouri-St.
Louis, and a doctorate in educational administration/superintendency at Saint Louis
University. Graham later completed a master of arts in pastoral studies from the Aquinas
Institute of Theology.
Teacher, Administrator
Graham’s first teaching assignment was in 1967 at Clark Elementary School for St.
Louis Public Schools. In 1979, while teaching at Shepard School and completing her
doctorate, Graham walked the picket line as a strike leader for SLPS teachers.
“The strike lasted for 56 days, but I continued to fight for our rights as I worked
on my degree,” she recalled “I also served on the negotiating team to get better benefits
for teachers. At the negotiating table, I would often tell the administration side
that I am working hard so that my baby sister (Deborah Faye), who was studying to
become a teacher at the time, would start with a decent salary and not have the painter
making more money than the teachers. I am proud of the contracts and benefits that
I, along with Local 420 Teachers Union AFT/AFL-CIO, was able to provide. Many of those
benefits are still in place for teachers today.”
During her 38-year career with SLPS, Graham was a classroom teacher, remedial reading
specialist and co-host of an after-school radio program called the Rits Sisters and
the Reading Is Terrific Show. She also served as an administrator during summer school,
and then as assistant principal at Ames Visual and Performing Arts Elementary School
for seven years before retiring in 2005.
Student Advocate, College Ambassador
In 1988, Graham became the first black woman ever elected to the Ferguson-Florissant
District School Board.
“Being at the board table allowed me to be able to speak up on behalf of all children,
but specifically for the black children who didn’t have a voice,” Graham said.
During her 23-year tenure, the district twice was recognized as a school district
of distinction by the Missouri School Boards Association.
After an unsuccessful bid to retain her seat on the Ferguson-Florissant board in 2011,
Graham turned her attention to St. Louis Community College. Backed by the Ecumenical
Leadership Council, Graham was elected to the STLCC Board of Trustees in 2012 and
was re-elected to a second term in 2018.
“The motto for STLCC is “expanding minds, changing lives” and it is doing just that
with the various contributions that the College offers the community,” Graham said.
Graham has served as chair and co-chair of the STLCC board. She served two years on
the Association of Community College Trustees’ Diversity Committee. She was instrumental
in bringing a Diversity Council to STLCC, as well as the creation of the position
of the director of diversity and inclusion.
“STLCC always works to create a safe and inclusive space so people from all different
backgrounds feel accepted in the environment,” she said. “I am very proud to be an
ambassador for St. Louis Community College and to serve as an elected official on
the board of trustees.”
“Keep Going”
Graham is the chaplain for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, St. Louis Alumnae Chapter,
Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Alpha Zeta Chapter and for Deer Valley Home Health. She
serves as an associate minister at Prayer Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. She
has been married to Jerry Graham for over 55 years. Together, they have two daughters,
Doretha Sandridge and Deanna N. Graham-Wilson; son-in-law Dennis F. Wilson; five grandchildren,
three great grandchildren and four godchildren.
Graham has received numerous awards for service. They include the Lifetime Achievement
Award from the St. Louis Teachers Union, the Legacy Award for Community Service from
the National Council of Negro Women Inc. Gateway Metropolitan Section, and the Legacy
Award from the St. Louis Argus. She also was recognized by the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
as one of its Women Making a Difference in Politics honorees. In 2014, she received
the St. Louis Metropolitan Urban League’s Salute to Women in Leadership Award for
Education. Graham also received the Dr. Fredda Witherspoon Award for Outstanding Service
from Iota Phi Lambda. In 2020, Graham received the Phi Delta Kappa Public Recognition
Award for community service. In July, she received an award for dedication from Deer
Valley Hospice Care.
From Graham’s perspective, the American’s Lifetime Achiever Award is one of the most
prestigious honors an educator can receive in Metropolitan St. Louis.
“I am humbled and thankful for this award, and very excited to receive it. This award
means that someone has worked in the field of education and others have evaluated
their work to see the immense positive changes they have made,” Graham said. “I’ve
been retired for 15 years. I continue to volunteer my time and work with others on
committees about education. I have always carried a passion for education, and this
award is saying to me that I have been achieving and helping others to achieve my
entire life, so don’t stop, keep going.”
