John Graham

Profile Updated: September 9, 2019
John Graham
Where do you live? Hemet, CA USA
Homepage: www.vrbo.com/9410
Spouse/Partner: JoAnn Surina Graham
Children: Our children are real dogs! I am serious we just recently acquired twin (brother and sister) purebred More…Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Luke and Zoey are wonderful mix of joy and problems. Our Brandy is an ABC Channel 7 Weather Weekly Rescue Dog of the Week.

BB our Big Beautiful Black & Tan Rhodesian Ridgeback passed a year ago last January.
Occupation: RetiredTeacher; Mountain High Escrow Inc. Owner & Exec VP
Yes! Attending Reunion
What was your first car?

Hillman Minx & Totally Reconditioned 57 Ford Ranchero

Favorite School Story or Funny Memory you'd like to share

I will never forget how sore my legs were after having to run the cross country course 5 times one Friday after having not dressed out Monday through Thursday. I think I ran it forwards, backwards, and sideways.

Favorite teacher(or teachers)?

Mr. Dick for freshman History. He made History interesting and fun.

What did you do after graduation?

Went to work as Landscaping foreman until re-enrolling at U of A Grad School in College of Education to earn Masters in Special Ed emphasis on Learning Disabled. Taught for 37 years (3) in Tucson and 34 in Hemet California.

Education:

BA Secondary Education Social Sciences U of A
MA Special Education Emphasis on Learning Disabled
Ed Specialist from U of A Stopped 3 units short of degree

Where else have you lived?

Tucson
Hemet Ca
Idyllwild Ca
Oceanside Ca

Where have you traveled?

Akumal Mexico,
Plitvice Lakes in Croatia. Croation National Park. Plan on spending at least a full day. Visiting here will help you to realize just how geopolitical the 7 Natural Wonders of the world are. There are many just as beautiful places in the world!

Where is your favorite place to go?

Akumal Mexido. Akual means turtle in Mayan. Small town with wonderful restaurants, people. They have a turtle reserve where they rescue turtles after marking where mom lays eggs, returning when they hatch, digging them up and placing on sand before dawn so predatory birds do not snap them up befoere they get to the beach. Only 1 in a 1,000 would live to give birth whithout this help. Don't worry there are plenty of predators once they get into the ocean.
If you rent on half moon bay try to get a condo with a swimming pool and a non rocky beach. Great lagoon and just off shore snorkling opportunities without having to go out in a boat. Lots of diving opportunities. Second largest reef in the world right off shore. Great night life just a few miles norht in Playa del Carmen.

Favorite Movies:

The American President,
Fourth of July,
Pretty Women,
Air Force One,
Back To The Future,
Cowboy
Almost all John Wayne Movies
John Grisham Movies

Favorite Music:

Grateful Dead,
New Riders of The Purple Sage
Chuckwagon and the Wheels
Rock and Country Rock
Jazz

What concerts have you been to? Which were your favorites?

Many Grateful Dead in Los Angles, and San Francisco
Almost all of them. I was best friends with management of Discount Records in College and they received free tickets to everything and usually right up front.
Yearly Jazz in the Pines in Idyllwild. Has been revamped for 2021 year last week.

Favorite Books:

The Hobbit and the Trilogy that followed.
John Grisham Books

Comments:

Still just as busy after the 40th reunion as before. Just as busy after retirement as before.
Sharing time between Hemet, Idyllwild, and Oceanside.
Hemet has been wonderful to me. That is funny because where the hell is Hemet anyways?
The condo on the beach in Oceanside is a pure joy to stay at when we do not have it rented. We can watch the waves break all thee way to La Jolla from any room or the balcony. It is updated and has all the conveniences of home. If you want to stay at a great beach contact me through www.vrbo.com/9410 and I can help you find a condo at the beach with swimming pools, jacuzzi, koi pond, streams, fountains, work out rooms, saunas, and much more. I have contacts with all of the owners and am glad to help people people find the condo they want, and will fit their needs. To us the only thing better than renting a condo at NCV is to rent one at NCV with great Ocean Views. This is not an advertisement. I do not charge to help people find a condo. It is my pleasure. I believe that once you have stayed at a condo in North Coast Village, you will definitely want to return again.

2. Our Mountain High Escrow INC. is in Idyllwild CA is amazing, mostly due to my wife JoAnn who is the escrow queen in California.

Graduated from U of A in 1973.
Received Masters 1977.
Taught in Tucson for 3 years.
Have lived and taught in Hemet for 44 years.
Met and married my wife (the love of my life over 23 years ago).

Served on National Education Association (NEA) Political Action Committee.
Met President Bill and Hillary Clinton at small reception of about 100 people.

Served on NEA Board of Directors.
Served on NEA Resolutions Committee.
NEA Special Education Caucus Chair.

Love exploring Mayan ruins especially Coba.

John's Latest Interactions

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John Graham has a birthday today.
Sep
28
Sep 28, 2023 at 1:33 AM
John Graham has left an In Memory comment for Profile.
Mar 27, 2023 at 9:39 PM

I want to thank you for this post. I am so sorry to see her leave us unless of course hte pain was just too great. I let Less Gin who sused to be maybe Bank President of Great Western and belive it or not lives in little tiny Idyllwild Ca, wher JoAnn and I have our business. He is a fellow Rotarian. I do not know if he knew her, but if he did he can at least show his respect. 

John Graham posted a message.
Mar 20, 2023 at 9:54 AM

Happy Birthday!

John Graham has a birthday today.
Sep 28, 2022 at 1:33 AM
John Graham has left an In Memory comment for Profile.
Aug 01, 2022 at 8:05 PM

This is an excellent chance for those of us who can, to donate what we can towards cancer research. I say what you can because that is what one should donate to great causes. You can only afford what you can afford. Be careful there are many cancer charaties (especially Breast Cancer charaties out there who do not do a good job with your donations, and keep it for them selves. I suggest alwas usin Charity Navigator https://www.charitynavigatororg (this is not a link but can be copied and pasted into any broowser) when donating to a cause. Another great way is to volunteer time and effort towards a cause. Your voice and your steps can rewally make a difference.

I am planning to be in Tucson 11/19/22 to participate in Rotary,s El Tour de Tucson a fund raiser to help raising money for fight Polio in our World. I will be riding the 32 mile ebike route. Not asking for donations for polio becuse we should be doing something in Keiths name on cancer that helpfully will work towards a more cancer free world in the future!

John Graham has left an In Memory comment for Profile.
Jul 30, 2022 at 3:11 PM

Very sad to hear. Cancer needs to be defeated. It takes too many. Brain cancer is just being effectively treated, but not in time foro Keith. He was good to everyone. We will all miss him. My condolences to all who knew and loved him!

John Graham has a birthday today.
Sep 28, 2021 at 1:33 AM
John Graham has a birthday today.
Sep 28, 2020 at 1:33 AM
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Sep 12, 2020 at 5:40 PM
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Aug 07, 2022 at 9:40 AM

Posted on: Aug 16, 2020 at 6:06 PM

Barbara, Please enjoy your retirement. I retired 8 years ago in Southern California. I do a whole lot of Zooming. I can have meeting with my Idyllwild Rotary club, I enjoy speakers from around the world. There is a wonderful virtual tour of Monet's art work. Where else can you fly to France, enjoy your favorite artist and drink your favorite wine enjoy hors d'oeuvers? No ii is not like visiting in person but it is a great way to try out your bucket list and see if you want to eliminate or add a few. Enjoy your retirement!

John Graham posted a message.
Jan 19, 2020 at 2:19 PM

Your Broadway Barn Properties look really nice! How did you get started in this endeavor? I know we got started as a way to help pay the mortgage. It has worked out well for us having payed the mortgage plus for about 17 or 18 of 19 years that we will have owned our John & JoAnn's Beach Retreat www.vrbo.com/9410. If you are back in the states and want to stay at the beach in northern San Diego County let us know that you are a Palo Verde graduate and we will give you special pricing.

John Graham added a comment on Profile. New comment added.
Oct 25, 2019 at 9:05 AM

Posted on: Oct 25, 2019 at 9:05 AM

Sunshine and water...just the way I love San Diego on my last day living there.
John Graham has a birthday today.
Sep 28, 2019 at 1:33 AM
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Sep 09, 2019 at 2:00 PM
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Sep 09, 2019 at 12:21 PM
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Sep 09, 2019 at 2:02 PM

Posted on: Aug 20, 2019 at 2:26 PM

Tom, are you going to the reunion? It has been years.

John Graham posted a message.
Jun 23, 2019 at 7:15 PM

JoAnn and I spent last week at our condo in Oceanside. First week long vacation she has taken in a year. It was great to get away and we went to Fly Rides Pedal Assist in La Jolla and bought her a nearly identical (a little prettier)









We just returned from my wife's first week long vacation in a year. We went to our Oceanside condo. It was so nice to get away to one of the best beaches in California. We went to La Jolla and bought JoAnn a Raleigh pedal assist almost just like mine. Hers is a little prettier, but same battery, gears, and assistance levels. Now we can bike together. If you have never ridden a pedal assist bike you should. The pedal assist does not keep you from getting a great workout, and allows you to access places that you otherwise might not be able to. It is great in the mountains around Idyllwild which have many very steep hills. Idyllwild it the type of place hat on a bike you might only be able to downhill and flat roads without the pedal assist help. looking forward to riding with JoAnn!

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Jun 23, 2019 at 11:42 AM
John Graham posted a message. New comment added.
Jun 23, 2019 at 4:03 PM

Posted on: Jun 23, 2019 at 11:41 AM

Remember playing golf almost every day. Are you still golfing. I remember thinking that I might see you on the professional tour. Did you compete at the U of A. I remember you made the golf team of PV more than once. I would never recognize you today. Glad you updated your picture.

John Graham posted a message.
Jan 24, 2019 at 1:47 PM

Barbara,
Job Corps, what a great group that does more for many that need the extra help than most will ever realize. Thank you for your dedication to Job Corps!