Stedman Graham

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Stedman Graham
Stedman Graham

Stedman Graham (born March 6, 1951 in Whitesboro, New Jersey) is an American educator, author, businessman, and speaker who has also served in the United States Army, although he is mainly known as the partner of media mogul Oprah Winfrey. Oprah and Stedman were engaged to be married on November of 1992, but later decided they would rather have a spiritual union.

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[edit] Education

He went to Middle Township High School and was a 1,000-point scorer for the boys varsity basketball team. After attending Weatherford College, he received a Bachelor's degree in social work from Hardin-Simmons University and received his Master's degree in Education from Ball State University. Coker College awarded him an honorary doctorate in Humanities. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Chicago.

[edit] Business career

Stedman Graham with Congressman Chaka Fattah
Stedman Graham with Congressman Chaka Fattah

Graham is an entrepreneur as CEO of S. Graham & Associates, a Chicago-based corporate and educational marketing and consulting firm. He is also founder of AAD (formerly, Athletes Against Drugs), a non-profit organization that provides services to underserved youth and has awarded over $1.5 million in scholarships since its founding in 1985. [1]

[edit] Media attention

Graham has been the subject of much gossip and publicity over the years, most notably through tabloid articles claiming to chronicle his ongoing relationship with Winfrey. Many of these center around the idea of him being a gold digger on Oprah.

Recently, his one-time connection to conservative commentator Armstrong Williams was spotlighted in the media. Williams was recently censured for accepting $250,000 of U.S. government funds for publicly praising the No Child Left Behind Act without admitting he had been paid to do so. Graham, who founded a public relations firm, the Graham-Williams Group, with Williams over 14 years ago, was not implicated and, although Williams has retained the company name, Graham has had no financial interest in the firm.[2] He also is referenced in the context of golddigging in Chappelle's Show, Season 2 Episode 9.

[edit] External links