Gallery5 hosts Ian Graham memorial service on Sunday

Giving his friends and co-workers a chance to celebrate “The Professor.”

September 25, 2014; 11:19 AM • by Nathan Cushing

Update #3 — September 25, 2014; 11:18 AM

Friends and co-workers of Ian Graham, an RVA Magazine mainstay who recently died (see below), will gather Sunday at Gallery5 to swap stories, watch photo montages, listen to music, and raise glasses high to honor “The Professor.”

Graham’s family will hold a private ceremony on Saturday. The Sunday event at Gallery5 is open to everyone and runs from 6:00 – 10:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, Ian’s family asks donations be made to the ASPCA with no funds going toward producing “another one of those goddamn Sarah McLaughlin commercials.”

— ∮∮∮ —

Update #2 — September 16, 2014; 12:53 PM

The Ian Graham memorial fund has raised over $6,000 in under 24 hours, exceeding the fund’s $5,000 goal (see post below).

Graham’s family will receive $5,000 to help pay costs related to the passing of the RVA Mag editor and photographer (see bottommost post). Excess funds will go to the ASPCA in Graham’s honor.

— ∮∮∮ —

Update #1 — September 15, 2014; 4:56 PM

Friends of Ian Graham have created a memorial fund to help Graham’s family pay costs related to his passing.

We want to provide the proper send-off for our friend and our brother, and help Ian’s family with the financial burden of an unexpected death. This was not part of the plan, and Ian wasn’t ready for this any more than any of us were. Ian’s family were the most important thing in the world to him, and he would want to know that his passing would not be a financial burden to his loved ones.

The fund seeks to raise $5,000. Excess funds will go to the ASPCA in Graham’s honor.

— ∮∮∮ —

Original — September 15, 2014

RVA Magazine editor, writer, and photographer Ian Graham died Sunday at Duke University Hospital from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident that occurred last week. Graham was 32-years-old. He was admitted to the hospital late Wednesday with severe spinal cord damage following the incident.

Yesterday, Graham’s sister wrote an emotional summary of events surrounding Graham’s accident and passing:

More so, however, Ian would have never laughed again. He would have never told a joke or discussed his favorite music, movies, or books again. He could never again walk into a room just to have it light up by his presence. He could never again see a fresh blanket of snow, or feel the sun on his face and the wind in his hair. He would have never again drummed, or photographed, or danced like a maniac. He would never again hear any of your voices in his presence, or speak back, or give any of you that famous Ian hug. All of you have such beautiful, warm, and real memories of Ian and the time you spent with him. Please always remember those times; please always remember Ian’s life. He loved living it.

Graham had been with the alt-magazine since its founding in 2005 and helped to kick off a revolution of local and independent media. Among his notable contributions (in addition to this interview with GWAR frontman Dave Brockie) was his arrest while photographing Occupy protestors at Kanawa Plaza in late 2011. Here’s a short clip of Graham’s arrest at the Occupy event, along with his statement the following day, excerpted from the documentary All Day, All Night.