Former US Senator Bob Graham, family give $1.5 million to UF

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Graham, family give $1.5 million to UF





December 5, 2007

GAINESVILLE --
(AP) -- Former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and his family are donating $1.5 million to the Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida.

Graham, his brother William A. Graham and the Philip L. Graham Fund are making the donation to establish the Philip L. Graham Program Fund to provide support for graduate and undergraduate programs in public leadership.

Bob Graham served as governor from 1979 to 1987 and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, where he served three consecutive terms.

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InsideUF

December 5, 2007

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“We have an opportunity and an obligation to provide the foundation for ethical and well-prepared civic and public leaders,” said Bob Graham, a 1959 UF political science graduate. “The Graham Center, and this newly established fund, will be a catalyst from which the University of Florida can do so.”
Bob Graham, a 1962 Harvard Law School graduate, served as governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, where he served three consecutive terms representing Florida. During his last term, he was appointed chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

William Graham of Miami Lakes, Fla., is the chairman of The Graham Companies and credited with developing Miami Lakes into a thriving, innovative, mixed-use community in the 1950s and 1960s. He is a 1949 graduate of UF.

The Grahams’ late brother, Philip, was publisher of The Washington Post and president of The Washington Post Companies until his death in 1963. The Philip L. Graham Fund was established the same year to support broad community-support endeavors as well as education, arts, health and journalism projects. The collective gift to the Graham Center was made to honor Philip Graham’s memory. Philip Graham also earned his bachelor’s degree at UF.

The Graham Center seeks solutions to public problems in the areas of public leadership, the Americas and homeland security. The center will address these issues by giving students opportunities to train for future leadership positions, to meet with current policymakers and to take courses in critical thinking, language and world cultures. These opportunities will allow students to confront issues that are important for the advancement of Florida and the nation.

“This is the first major endowment the Graham Center has received and it is the absolute foundation for all of our programs,” said Walter Rosenbaum, interim director of the center. “In this day and age, it is important to ensure that students acquire the skills to tackle the issues in public policy because their decisions will affect us all.”

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Thank you, Senator Graham.

For your honesty, dedication, vast knowledge and a heart of gold, you will always be loved in Florida.