Graham Thomas Wilson Obituary (1926 - 2015)

Graham Thomas Wilson, age 88, of Wickenburg, Az. passed away Thursday, September 3, 2015 in Peoria at the Forum at Desert Harbor. He was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Mary Ellen Wilson and his brothers Howard, J. Walter, Ernest and Spencer, and sisters Doris Moore-Howarth and Florence Meyerson. Dear to his heart was is niece, Lynn Multop Caruso who passed away at an early age. He is survived by sister Edith Multop of New Jersey, nieces Suzanne Wilson and Linda Munson, nephews Robert Moore and John Wilson and special friend Rosalind Barnes. He hailed from Trenton, New Jersey. Even as a young boy he exhibited an industrious and creative drive. He trapped muskrats and sold them using the income to purchase two Toggenburg goats and started his own business selling goat milk. He wrote an article describing the record keeping procedure for the venture and it was published in "The American Dairy Goat Journal". To improve future quality of his small herd he purchased a kid goat, named "Chickaming Judy", from Mrs. Carl Sanburg. His plans for operating a goat milk dairy were ended when the government took over the family farm to build a military airfield during WWII. Graham attended Trenton State Teachers College. While earning a BS and Masters degree in elementary education, he financed the tuition by working as a photographer specializing in wedding and baby photos. He later studied at Rutgers and ASU for a degree in special education for the learning disabled and earned the equivalent hours as PhD as well as a certificate for school administration. After teaching five years in New Jersey he took a post teaching overseas at Air Force Base schools. During his four years abroad he traveled through 35 countries exploring castles from Crusader days and taking jaunts through primitive trail-less jungles which were home to ex-headhunter tribes. He traveled through most of Europe in a Volkswagen camper van. In 1963 Graham made the move to Scottsdale, Arizona where he taught in the city's school system for 25 years. As a fly fisherman, hunter and rugged outdoorsman, Graham authored sporting articles and photos of wildlife for "Outdoor Life" and "Field and Stream" magazines. He was the Camping Editor for "Arizona Outdoors." "My Mechanical Horse" is his short story published in "Outdoor Life." The article is the first to suggest the premise that a low gear dirt bike could replace a horse on trails in Montana. The Harley Davis company built two special bikes, Harley Hummers, for a trip which was videotaped titled "Hunting with a Camera." When he encountered streams, the bike was placed onto a rubber raft and Graham swam behind. A three day trail bike trip through a mountainous area southwest of Glacier Park was the subject of another film he produced for television. His favorite area was at Henry Lake, Idaho where he spent thirty-five years summer camping, hunting and fishing. His brother, Walt and sister-in-law Mary Louise spent many summers with Graham. Wickenburg was home to Graham since 1997. He moved to escape the air pollution in the valley. He would spend time in Scottsdale attending the Presbyterian Singles Group and Tripoint Club for retired teachers. Graham felt he had the "best of both worlds." He was a volunteer at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum and the Hassayampa Preserve. He was also involved with the Stephen's Ministries. Services will be held at Wilson-Apple Funeral Home, in Pennington, NJ.