Frances Hagberg Graham

Profile Updated: June 5, 2022
Residing In Crystal Bay, MN USA
Spouse/Partner Robert J. Gumnit
Occupation Horses; Ret Attorney and COO
Comments

Crystal Bay MN is a POB mailing address. Email or call my cell in New Mexico or Orono, MN.
6/5/2022 Enjoying seeing green in Minnesota
10/18/2021
Still in New Mexico; hired someone to help who starts soon at the ranch, lost my 17 year old border collie recently, hoping I can get back to MN in a few months.
8/12/2021
Such a confused and agitated world we face as we move through this phase of life! I'm still riding horses, albeit more gently than ever. I want to share that there is a meaningful article in August 2021 Atlantic about a family grieving the loss of a son and brother and "almost-fiance" who died at age 27 at the WTC September 11, 2001 (here comes the 20th anniversary). I bring it up because we are in a phase of life that involves loss more than ever for us personally. The sudden loss 3 1/2 years ago of my beloved second husband led to an expansive though painful period of life. The article resonated as to the individualized nature of personal grieving. It takes time to emerge from the "noise" that is part of loss (some never do I'm told). My wish for all my Oberlin friends is to find peace and fulfillment in this time of life. Speaking of loss, I send news of my first husband, Tom, whom some of you knew and to whom I was married for about 11 years. Tom Graham (my first husband), was a year ahead of us, Class of 1967 majoring in political science. He was the Captain of the Oberlin Basketball Team and often frustrated by how his team performed after coming to Oberlin on a sports scholarship from a powerhouse high school team in Western Pennsylvania. Tom's second wife, Jennifer, shared with me that he died March 19, 2021 in Sedona AZ after a decline following contracting Covid in December, 2020. He had been hospitalized for 10 days in early January and went home on oxygen. However, Covid led to a series of problems he could not surmount including aggravating cardiac issues. Tom was still practicing law when he died while maintaining diverse activities and interests. Apparently, Vanderbilt Law School was notified but Oberlin may not have been informed. Tom worked at Sage Gray Todd and Sims in NYC before moving to Minnesota to practice with Chestnut Brooks and Burkhart in Minneapolis, and, eventually pursue additional interests. I'm glad he and Jennifer found one another. At Tom's urging I attended their wedding in the early 1980's, and hosted his dad and brother at my home during their festivities.

2018 News: Over the years I have engaged in diverse activities; practiced law several years mainly representing school districts in labor and employment law plus other public law issues (Peterson, Popovich, Knutson & Flynn) ; before law school was a teacher in Florida and social worker in Nashville Tennessee; lived in NYC and was a systems analyst for Software Design Associates and contracted to City of New York; formerly married to Tom Graham, Classs of 1967; divorced; in 1986 married the forever love of my life, a Swarthmore grad, Robert J. Gumnit, MD; Chair also Commissioner Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission 8 years; Several other nonprofit activities including Chair of Housing for Whittier Alliance; Past President of MN Epilepsy Foundation, Board Member several years; retired 2013 as Chief Operating Officer for MINCEP Epilepsy Care (now part of Univ of MN) which was founded through NIH grants to provide programmatic approach to lower incidence chronic disorder; helped guide MINCEP through changing eras in healthcare delivery and continue to provide broad approach to care that has been used by epilepsy centers nationally and internationally. Retired to focus on horses. Horses are at risk in our increasingly urban environment; own a mule, Peruvian Pasos and Missouri Foxtrotters; to ride in partnership with a horse is to seek to still oneself, find one's core and face challenge to ones innermost self. Lived in Florida, Tennessee, NYC, Orono, MN; can mostly be found at the "ranch" on the Rio Chama not far from Santa Fe, NM, and 12 miles south of Abiquiu. Still with a foot in lovely Orono, Minnesota, a state that won't give me up easily unless I sell everything! ADDENDUM: I lost my beloved husband suddenly and unexpectedly in October 2017. A brilliant mind, generous, with great humor and a great cook, I will miss him forever but feel blessed beyond measure for all we achieved together, believed in, and shared. We were a great team, accomplished much, and laughed a lot. We made a great difference in each other's lives.

School Story

I commissioned a beautiful custom-made coffee table of metal and glass that contains beneath the top one of the stained glass windows that were more or less thrown away from the Old Conservatory (I never saw it standing). They had been tossed into an old barn near Johnson House . . . . Sue Scheinman has her own story of 2 of the windows. My window has a broken piece in it. Several of the windows were severely broken by whoever pulled them down.