Akron Life February 2023

Inspiring Innovator : Mabel Graham , 1905-2002

Symphony Orchestra and its Akron Youth Symphony, Akron Youth Philharmonic and Akron Symphony Chorus ensembles thriving at performances and in music education. Fundraising for the causes she cared about continued even after her death. The Akron Beacon obituary directed donations to the orchestra, Tuesday Musical and First Congressional. Her Legacy: From the first orchestra performance at Central-Hower High School to the opening performance at E.J. Thomas Hall in 1973 and beyond, Graham was there for the orchestra — she even toured the E.J. construction site, clad in a hard hat, Gillman says. The orchestra continues to educate and entertain the community after over 70 years. “She was the guiding force — accepted the initial money from John Barry, and the rest is history,” Gillman says.

Why She’s Notable: In 1949, John Barry, the then publisher of the Akron Beacon Journal , gave Mabel Graham $500 to begin fundraising for the formation of the Akron Symphony Orchestra, which had its first performance in 1953. “Mabel was the one that I always jokingly said cracked the whip and got everybody rounded up to support an orchestra,” says Sue Gillman, a former orchestra board member. Graham was also the founding president of the Greater Akron Musical Association in 1950 and was a prominent member of the Akron Woman’s City Club, Tuesday Musical and First Congressional Church. Her Local Impact: At the Woman’s City Club, Graham was president in 1946, when its 1,000 members moved into its current home, the Grey Lodge, and was the chairperson of the board of club managers before that. The Silver Lake resident ’s dedication led to the Akron

Helen Wolle, photo provided by Summit Memory/Akron-Summit County Public Library

As of December 2022, the Woman’s City Club was at 88 members, including some male members and dining members, like Lieberth. There are some young female members, but most members are 60 and over. The club is recruiting members and staying current — making changes that break tradition. Instead of having a private chef, the club hired Catering by Mark DiFeo in 2022. And Shriber teamed up with her husband and owner of Shriber Auto Parts, Scott, to devise a plan to lower debt the club accumulated. PB: It was a real shock — the membership down. I suggested that we needed a caterer. If I would have said that we wanted a house of prostitution on the second floor — it would’ve gone over just as well. CB: [Shriber] came in and said, This is it. We need to change. SS: The club wasn’t making enough revenue to be alone, to pay all the bills, and to operate by itself. … [Now we are] debt free. The club has continued educational programs for members and partners with community organizations, hosting events like a tea party for elementary school girls and meals in its dining room for the Akron Police Department and donating to many local charities.

Mabel Graham photo provided by Akron Symphony Orchestra

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