Women Matter – Carrie Graham

 

Front row:  Rachel Depottey, Oakley Graham, Noah and Parker Sandecki, Leah Graham and Stephanie Graham.  Back Row: Matthew Graham, Evan Sandecki, Carrie Graham, Stephen and Laura Graham, Shannon and Victor Sandecki, Andrew Sandecki. Picture Courtesy of Carrie Graham

by Cindy Lance

Carrie Graham works tirelessly in support of education and her community. Not only is she a longtime member of the Stockbridge Community Schools Board of Education, she has operated a day care and preschool out of her home for the past 35 years.

Carrie Graham was born in Detroit to Stephen and Nina Mihalich, first generation parents from Yugoslavia, and grew up in Bloomfield Hills.  Carrie’s father having lived through the depression, believed in education above all else, and knew its value.  Using the GI Bill, he went to medical school and favorably impacted hundreds of lives.

Carrie was blessed with teachers in her academic career who showed her just how important their jobs were in educating students.  And these life lessons  formed Carrie’s philosophy for how and why she has done the things she has.

She wants to try to make sure every child has the opportunity to receive the same education. The recent renovations of the Stockbridge Community Schools, the achievements of our staff and students, all appear to be results of that shared philosophy.

Various turns in Carrie’s life led her to come to the area. Just a year before her high school graduation in 1969, she met Tim Graham on Woodward Ave where he was racing his ’69 Yellow Camaro 396, and they started dating.  In 1973, the couple married and settled in Gregory, Michigan.  Since Carrie was in her senior year at Michigan State University earning her Teaching Certification, she commuted to East Lansing until her graduation.

After relocating to Gregory, she immediately fell in love with the community.  This is evident in the devotion she has exhibited over the last 46 years to the community and the schools.  Together she and Tim were involved with the Howlett PTO – seven years as President- and Carrie has been on the School Board of Education for over 25 years. And if that is not enough, Carrie has been a part of the lives of many of the communities youth through the day care and preschool   All while she and Tim raised their own three children Shannon (Graham) Sandecki, Stephen Graham, and Matthew Graham.

Carrie considers her greatest accomplishment to be her three children and seven grandchildren. She also enjoys working the Food Wagon that she and the family have been running since 1990. Describing  herself as a history buff, she loves to explore and read anything she can.

 Carrie has witnessed many world events, moon landings, advancement in technology, and social changes too numerous to list.  Within the community there have been many changes as well, population growth and more diverse activities.  But the core of community she fell in love with over 46 years ago remains unchanged.  

Thank you Carrie for your devotion to the community and our schools!