By Guy J. Sagi
Joe Graham, former executive director of the NRA Publications Division, died over Memorial Day weekend. He is survived by his wife, Sylvia, son William Graham and daughters Mary Atkins and Marilyn Graham. Preceding him in death were his parents and brother, John Graham.
Graham grew up in Cadiz, KY, and graduated from Vanderbilt University, where he lettered in football and was named All-SEC. He went on the play for the Minnesota Vikings until injuries forced premature retirement from the gridiron. He served in the Air Force and was stationed at Da Nang, Vietnam, from 1968 to 1969, at the height of the Tet Offensive.
He worked at Pentax Corporation from 1972 to 1998, rising from the position of Senior Vice President to CEO. He left to serve as publisher of Petersen’s Hunting and Petersen’s Bowhunting magazines, but in January 2000 assumed the role of Executive Director of NRA Publications Division.
Graham’s vision was different from that of his predecessors, who traditionally thought periodicals produced by non-profits were incapable of generating an organization any profit. The publications division quickly became a revenue source for the NRA, using many of the approaches he fine-tuned on the newsstand at Petersen’s. In June 2007 he launched Shooting Illustrated magazine. He was at the helm as NRA’s stable of magazines launched sister television shows, established websites, fully harnessed video and introduced apps. He drilled into every staff member the importance of honesty, uncompromising ethics and that every NRA member deserves solid reporting and quality in their publications.
On Jan. 5, 2014, he officially retired from the NRA and moved from Northern Virginia to Castle Rock, CO, to be close to family. His legacy will thrive for decades in the organization and continue to protect the Second Amendment through the team members he mentored.