William George Brown Graham

William George Brown Graham

Age: 87

William George Brown Graham, M.D. died on Thursday, June 29 after a brief, unanticipated illness. He was 87 years old.

Bill was born in Pittsburgh, PA to James Madison and Mary Louise Brown Graham. His father, a former cavalry officer, taught his children to love sports, especially swimming and sailing. Bill's parents died when he was 10 years old, and the three children were raised by their aunt, Margaret Graham Sellman. Bill received scholarships to Exeter ('47) and Harvard ('51), where he was a member of the lacrosse and swim teams. He earned an MD at the University of Pennsylvania ('56) and went on to residency in internal medicine in Hanover, NH. During residency he lived in Thetford, VT, where he developed an enduring love for the state.

After serving in the Air Force in Goose Bay, Labrador, Bill revisited Thetford where he met medical student Valerie Leval, who became his wife. As Bill completed his training in Pulmonology and began his career, the couple lived in Washington, DC, Boston, and Albuquerque. They had a child in each town, and wanting to raise them in Vermont, Bill accepted a professorship at UVM Medical School in 1971. In addition to his clinical work, he researched the effects of altitude on patients with severe lung disease. He went on to study silicosis and dust exposure in the Vermont granite industry. In retirement, he greatly enjoyed medical-legal work in silicosis.

Bill was devoted to his family. He shared with them his joy of music, playing guitar and banjo to accompany his vast repertoire of French songs, sea shanties and raucous ballads. He loved being outdoors, on ski slopes, tennis courts, or the lake in a series of leaky lobster boats or on his Flying Scot.

Bill is survived by his wife of 54 years, children Alex, Hilary and her husband Bob Childs, Bill and his wife Caroline, his sister, Louise "Chuckie" Mand, and five grandsons: Will, Charlie, Petey, Liam and Chris. He was predeceased by his older brother, Jim and his wife Barbara of Boulder, Colorado, and his brother-in-law Charlie Mand.

Bill was beloved for his gentle spirit and quick wit. He was a gregarious person, who loved his family, his patients, and his wide network of friends and colleagues. There will be a celebration of his life on Sunday, July 30 at 2:30 pm at All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne VT.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Shelburne Farms or the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival.

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