Karen G. Graham, sales manager
Karen Gamble Graham, 52, of East Falls, a television advertising sales manager, died of cancer Monday at home. Mrs. Graham was with WPHL-TV (now MYPHL17) for 15 years, starting as an account executive before being promoted to national sales manager. She was later local sales manager and general sales manager.
Karen Gamble Graham, 52, of East Falls, a television advertising sales manager, died of cancer Monday at home.
Mrs. Graham was with WPHL-TV (now MYPHL17) for 15 years, starting as an account executive before being promoted to national sales manager. She was later local sales manager and general sales manager.
She enjoyed mentoring young people in the business. They became known as "Karen's Kids," and she took pride in their success, said her husband, Jim.
Mrs. Graham left the station two years ago when she became ill. Even while fighting cancer, she kept up her activities with the Union League of Philadelphia, where she was a member of the One Percenters, a group of professional women who lunched and socialized together to network and share experiences. She attended a Union League function three weeks ago, said Patricia Tobin, assistant general manager of the league.
"Karen was a firecracker. She was fun and smart and made you feel good about being a woman," Tobin said.
Mrs. Graham grew up in Southwest Philadelphia and graduated from John Bartram-Motivation High School. After earning a bachelor's degree from Elizabethtown College, she worked in the traffic department at WDAS-FM (105.3), logging commercials, before joining the sales department.
In the late 1980s, Mrs. Graham temporarily switched careers. After graduating from the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia, she ran a catering business for several years. Her clients included sports and entertainment stars, her husband said. She was a wonderful cook and loved adding a pinch of this or a dash that to dishes she created, he said.
In addition to her husband of 11 years, Mrs. Graham is survived by her stepsons, David and Mark, two sisters; and two granddaughters.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. tomorrow at 59th Street Baptist Church, 315 S. 59th St., where friends may call after 1. Mrs. Graham was vice president of the pastor's aide ministry at the church.
Memorial donations may be made to the Gamble-Graham Foundation in care of the Joan Karnell Cancer Center, Pennsylvania Hospital, 230 W. Washington Square, Philadelphia 19106. Mrs. Graham served on the center's leadership committee.