President’sPage B
ecause this is my last column, I wanted to write about someone who is important to us all. He is Trisha Graham’s husband, Joe Graham. In other columns, I have written about people who have made a difference in my practice and groups of people who have made a difference for all of us. Those groups inby David E. Keltner cluded the increasing number of women in the law, our support staffs, court staffs, and the TCBA executive staff. As everyone who is active in the Association knows, Trisha would not be able to be the world-class executive director she is, without Joe’s support. Everybody knows Joe. He is the one helping Trisha set up the room for the event. Once the event starts, Joe is the one making sure that everything goes according to Trisha’s plan. Joe is the man in cowboy boots serving you at the bar. Although Joe does not drink himself, he places himself behind the bar and gladly serves the rest of us. Joe is seldom without a smile and there is generally a twinkle in his eye. If he has met you more than once, he remembers your name. When Joe asks you how you are doing, it is not rhetorical. He listens to and cares about your answer. In other words, he cares about others and it shows. But there is a serious side too. When Joe becomes concerned about somebody, his concern is not idle. He wants to figure out what is wrong and what he can do to fix it. Joe doesn’t really care what or who caused the problem, he just cares about solving it and making sure it doesn’t happen again. Joe came by his empathy through experience. Before his retirement, he was a long time Bell Helicopter employee. But he was also the UAW Local 218 President. In that job, he dealt with all types of disputes, both real and imagined. I don’t know, but I’ll wager he was darn good at his job. Joe is as solid as they come. Every meal begins with a prayer. If there is someone he doesn’t like, I have yet to hear about it. And I have never heard a bad word about Joe. Joe is an outdoor guy, and he and Trisha often campout. But on most weekends, you can find Trisha and Joe at their ranch in Stephens County. If he can convince Trisha to take any time off, I am convinced Joe will take her on a prolonged trip to Alaska. He has been before but wants to spend
time getting to know the last frontier. Because the trip will take months, Trisha is not ready to go just yet. But it won’t be too much longer. Trisha started as Executive Director in June, 1992. Then President David Evans recruited her, and he made a wise decision. Twenty four years later, Trisha is still here and she is still going strong. At her job, Trisha is one of the best. I may have told you before, but at one State Bar of Texas leadership event, I asked a question about how to handle a certain program. One of the panel members, the Executive Director of the Houston Bar Association, simply responded, “Trisha is sitting right next to you. Ask her.” Everyone, including other bar executives, recognize Trisha knows the answers. Trisha’s weeks are busy. She provides support for the TCBA, the Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association, The Eldon Mahon Inn of Court, and the Tarrant County Bar Foundation. She attends board of directors meetings of each organization and most of the important committee meetings. These are not 9 to 5 jobs. Trisha’s work days often end past 9:00 p.m., and this past weekend, I know she worked all day Saturday. Joe is right there with her. Joe and Trisha were married in 1993, and since they have been together, Joe has attended every Blackstone/Law Day dinner. He has helped with all bench/bar conferences, except this year due to the death of a longtime friend, and virtually all of our membership events. Joe does this on his own time and it is time we thank him.
May/June 2016 ▪ TCBA BULLETIN 1