R. William Graham was born in Highland, CA in 1922 attending the local elementary school and San Bernardino High School. He graduated from Pomona College and earned his Masters and Doctorate degrees at USC. Following his service in the Air Corps in WW II he toured as a singer/arranger with the Alvino Rey Band and sang with Mel Torme’s Meltones.
His academic career included professorships at Pasadena City College and East Stroudsburg State U. in Pennsylvania, and presidencies at colleges in California, Missouri and Florida. He served as Director of the U.S. Armed Forces Institute in the Department of Defense before returning to California as president of Barstow College.
Upon retirement from academia, he resumed his musical career, impersonating Cole Porter and Lerner & Loewe on stage nationwide and lecturing in Elderhostel programs.
In 2007 he moved from California to Seattle where he sang with the Seachordsmen barbershop chorus and entertained at retirement complexes.
He is survived by his partner, Mamie Rockafellar, and his children: Gabe, Ken, Dave and Robin.