Bill Graham is Remembered for Impacting His Community

DAYTON – Rev. William B. Graham wore many hats throughout the three decades he spent living in Dayton, where he served as pastor, mayor, council member, and concerned citizen.

Graham passed away peacefully, at age 85, at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane on Aug. 24 and those who knew him and worked alongside him say the impact he had on his community is a legacy he can be proud to leave behind.

Graham moved to Dayton in 1982 and served as pastor of the Dayton First Congregational Church-UCC from 1983 until his retirement in 1993, when current pastor Marj Johnston said he became pastor emeritus.

"When former pastor Steve Edwards died in 2010, Bill provided a constant and known presence and support for the congregation and community as they faced their grief and then began their search for a new pastor," she said.

Johnston replaced Edwards and reflected warmly on her relationship with Graham and the inspiration he provided the congregation.

"It is rare and not recommended that a pastor who retires remain in his final place of ministry, and yet Bill was that kind of 'rare.' In my almost five years at First Congregational Church, Bill was an unofficial, kind and gifted mentor. Weekly, Bill was our reminder of the world in which we lived and some of the grace that is evident in how people treat each other. Weekly, Bill offered during prayer time a word of gratitude for the people who lived in ways that change the world by being and becoming who they are. I will be forever grateful for his ongoing presence and engagement with us, and I will miss the twinkle in his eye when after service he'd offer, 'I think you're on to something.'"

Graham considered his involvement in the restoration of the Dayton Courthouse among his greatest accomplishments. Built in 1887, the courthouse is the oldest continuously used courthouse in the state.

In 1986 a group of concerned citizens formed a courthouse restoration committee of 24 individuals. Graham was chairman of the steering committee that included Ginny Butler, Elizabeth Thorn, Darlene Broughton, Faye Rainwater, Rod Howley, Terry Nealey, and George Touchette.

Butler worked alongside Graham and said the six-year process of raising finds, hiring contractors and overseeing the restoration was long and difficult. "It wasn't easy. If we had known it was going to take six years, I don't know how many of us would have actually signed up!" she said.

Butler said they began fundraising in 1986 and raised "a good third" from private donations, an amount that is "unheard of" for a public building. The committee had to solicit funds, write grants, and figure out where to house county employees while work was under way. They fired two architects before finding the right fit in number three.

"He (Graham) was always a calm, reasonable, steady person at the helm. It took that kind of leadership to guide the whole thing," Butler said.

Graham himself built the platforms that hold the courthouse statuary, using his woodworking skills to leave an enduring mark of his own. "It was pretty special when that happened," Butler said.

With the courthouse restoration completed in 1993, Graham was up for a new challenge and was elected to the Dayton City Council in 1997. In 1999 he became mayor and served in that capacity for eight years. Later, he would serve another six years on the city council.

"Dayton just became a part of his soul once he moved here. In everything he did he had the citizens of Columbia County in the forefront. He always wanted the best he could for the citizens of Dayton," said Dayton Mayor Craig George.

George said Graham was the first to encourage him to run for council. He did so and served on council when Graham was mayor. A few years later they swapped roles when George won in a bid as mayor against Graham and Graham resumed his role on council.

"He was always supportive of everything we were trying to do. He was always there, always supportive, and always had the right words at the right time," George said.

Dayton City Clerk Trina Cole was hired by Graham when he was mayor and remembers him fondly. She said Graham became mayor during a difficult time for the city and that he would share stories of the tough, sometimes unpopular, decisions that had to be made to save a city on the verge of going bankrupt.

"He was extremely proactive and allowed the city to move in a proactive direction. I'm really thankful to have been able to work under someone like that. He never hindered our ideas. He was always ready to listen and hear something new," she said.

"He was not a proud man but he was proud of being instrumental in moving the community back in the right direction. He was a huge advocate of economic development. He was proud of the community and happy to give back and push the city in the direction it needed to go," she added.

Friends and family will celebrate Graham's life at 1 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 3 at the Dayton Congregational Church.