Joyful conversations filled a packed church in Miami Lakes on Saturday afternoon as family, friends and politicians celebrated the life of the two-term governor of Florida and the United States. Senator Bob Graham.
As Graham’s wife, Adele, walked down the center aisle of the Miami Lakes United Church of Christ with a smile, a cane and the help of family, talk about the populist former governor ground to a halt.
Only his family’s footsteps could be heard as people remained silent. Among the elected officials present were the US congressman. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
Wasserman Schultz said that although he was sad, he also felt happy to be able to honor Graham’s memory. “Bob was one of the greatest elected officials in our state and nation,” Wasserman Schultz said.
Arva Suzanne Graham Gibson, one of Graham’s daughters, said her grandfather was a role model for his descendants and the entire state.
READ MORE: Bob Graham, Former Florida Governor and US Senator, Dies at 87
“If we live and lead like Bob Graham, Florida’s sun will shine brighter than ever,” said Graham Gibson. “My hope is that we have captured some of that light.”
Graham’s legacy
Graham spent nearly four decades in public service, first serving in both houses of the Florida Legislature before becoming governor and then a three-term U.S. senator.
Known for advocating for school skills tests, protecting the Everglades and focusing his political campaigns on the working class, Graham, who died last month at age 87, became a difficult person to follow.
Graham handled several crises as governor, including when then-Cuban dictator Fidel Castro opened the floodgates to masses of Cuban refugees wanting to flee to Florida in the 1980s.
The Coral Gables native pushed for greater transparency surrounding the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and became one of 23 senators to oppose then-President George W. Bush’s call to invade Iraq in 2003.
Graham won over fans and critics alike, with most detractors begrudgingly acknowledging his successes. He never lost an election.
According to Levine Cava, Graham’s ability to reach across the political aisle is what she will miss most.
“I think he was really one of the last statesmen who could work across the aisle,” said Levine Cava, who added that he considered Graham a role model.
Graham’s Notebook
Graham was known for carrying a spiral notebook almost everywhere he went to take notes when speaking to people, from voters he met on the street to his staff and other employees.
Sarah Logan, one of his granddaughters, said it was because her grandfather was so attentive to what others were saying that sometimes his family had to wait a long time before he could be with them. Logan calls her grandfather Doodle, a nickname she gave him as a child.
“If there’s anything I’ll learn from my time with Doodle, it’s the importance of listening and understanding others,” Logan said.
According to Samuel “Buddy” Shorstein, another friend of Graham’s, this particularity – which some reporters and critics have called a quirk – cost him being scrutinized or considered, but never selected to be the running mate of Democratic presidential candidates such as President Bill Clinton and Al Sangrar. Shorstein also served under Graham as the governor’s chief of staff.
“One might wonder whether some reporters’ characterization of him using the notebooks discouraged candidates running for president from selecting Bob,” Shorestein said. He added that if Gore had chosen his friend as vice president, he would not have lost the presidential candidacy by a few votes and a Supreme Court ruling.
Graham’s ‘unconditional love’
Shorstein said watching Graham deteriorate over the past three and a half years has been painful, but seeing his family’s unconditional love for him has been encouraging.
On April 16, Graham died of old age with his family by his side at a retirement community in Gainesville.
Graham is survived by his wife of 65 years, former first lady Adele Graham, children Gwen Graham, Cissy Graham McCullough, Suzanne Graham Gibson and Kendall Graham, 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
David Smiley of the Miami Herald contributed to this report.
