
When Graham Burns attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953 with her family, she never dreamed that she would be able to attend another coronation 70 years later of Elizabeth’s son, King Charles! At the age of 13, Graham and her parents, Carolyn and Jim Walker, and her sister, Ann Abney, all were awed as the gold coach passed by after the coronation.
This time she was also with family as the famed coach passed by; her two sons Jim and Lee and her daughter-in-law Andrea were with her. Jim lives with his family, wife Andrea and their children Catherine, 15, Caroline, 12, and James, 9, in London, so Graham and Lee, the headmaster of McCallie School, stayed at Jim’s townhouse in anticipation of the coronation.
Jim had arranged for a wheelchair for his mom since there would be no seating and a long day loomed, but he didn’t know how handy it would actually be. They left the townhouse at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday and made their way to the coronation mall, which is a long street that the royal procession goes down. Holding a sign that said “This is my second coronation,” Graham was immediately wheeled to the very front of the barricades, where Patrick Smith from NBC came by to get a brief interview that ended up being on NBC’s website, as well on as other news networks.
Even though she had experienced it before, Graham told me that when the gold coach passed by, it felt magical and was definitely a wow moment. The Burns clan ventured on to Westminster Abbey and actually saw the royal family out on the balcony as the planes flew overhead. Lee left the next day to get ready for McCallie’s graduation, while Graham and Jim continued their trip in Athens, Greece. They visited the Parthenon (also visible from her hotel) and nearby museum, and Graham was once again wowed with the experience that she was having. Let’s face it, Graham is an 83-year-old pistol!
They continued their Egyptian trip with stops at the pyramids, which she had always wanted to see. “No words can describe the magnitude and the beauty of the pyramids,” said Graham. “It was very humbling and awe-inspiring to see these incredible structures that were built over 4,500 years ago.”
They shopped at a bazaar filled with individual booths and bought souvenirs for all of her many grandchildren. Sitting around the pool that evening, Jim and Graham watched the sunset over the pyramids in the distance, which was unbelievable.
Stopping in London for another family visit and a bit more souvenir shipping with Andrea, Graham said the entire trip was absolutely perfect.
Lee said in his McCallie commencement address, “I went [to the coronation] not really to honor King Charles, the royal family, the royal tradition, or the pomp and circumstance, but to honor my mother. Standing by her, I saw in her not 83 years of old age, but a vitality of energy fueled by a spirit of adventure. I saw a determination to pursue passions and principles, to persist and persevere, to pray and to play. I saw a pillar of strength who bequeathed to and blessed me with the best of her. I am grateful and forever blessed by how she’s loved, shaped, and fortified me.”
I’m not sure I’ve ever enjoyed hearing about a trip more than I did this one. Graham reminded me several times that this article is about the trip not her, but as I replied, “Graham the trip was awesome, but without your spirit and fortitude, there would have been no trip.” No one deserves it more than Graham who has selflessly given herself to her friends and her family for many years, and she deserves every blessing that she gets.
by Gwin Tugman
This time she was also with family as the famed coach passed by; her two sons Jim and Lee and her daughter-in-law Andrea were with her. Jim lives with his family, wife Andrea and their children Catherine, 15, Caroline, 12, and James, 9, in London, so Graham and Lee, the headmaster of McCallie School, stayed at Jim’s townhouse in anticipation of the coronation.
Jim had arranged for a wheelchair for his mom since there would be no seating and a long day loomed, but he didn’t know how handy it would actually be. They left the townhouse at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday and made their way to the coronation mall, which is a long street that the royal procession goes down. Holding a sign that said “This is my second coronation,” Graham was immediately wheeled to the very front of the barricades, where Patrick Smith from NBC came by to get a brief interview that ended up being on NBC’s website, as well on as other news networks.
Even though she had experienced it before, Graham told me that when the gold coach passed by, it felt magical and was definitely a wow moment. The Burns clan ventured on to Westminster Abbey and actually saw the royal family out on the balcony as the planes flew overhead. Lee left the next day to get ready for McCallie’s graduation, while Graham and Jim continued their trip in Athens, Greece. They visited the Parthenon (also visible from her hotel) and nearby museum, and Graham was once again wowed with the experience that she was having. Let’s face it, Graham is an 83-year-old pistol!
They continued their Egyptian trip with stops at the pyramids, which she had always wanted to see. “No words can describe the magnitude and the beauty of the pyramids,” said Graham. “It was very humbling and awe-inspiring to see these incredible structures that were built over 4,500 years ago.”
They shopped at a bazaar filled with individual booths and bought souvenirs for all of her many grandchildren. Sitting around the pool that evening, Jim and Graham watched the sunset over the pyramids in the distance, which was unbelievable.
Stopping in London for another family visit and a bit more souvenir shipping with Andrea, Graham said the entire trip was absolutely perfect.
Lee said in his McCallie commencement address, “I went [to the coronation] not really to honor King Charles, the royal family, the royal tradition, or the pomp and circumstance, but to honor my mother. Standing by her, I saw in her not 83 years of old age, but a vitality of energy fueled by a spirit of adventure. I saw a determination to pursue passions and principles, to persist and persevere, to pray and to play. I saw a pillar of strength who bequeathed to and blessed me with the best of her. I am grateful and forever blessed by how she’s loved, shaped, and fortified me.”
I’m not sure I’ve ever enjoyed hearing about a trip more than I did this one. Graham reminded me several times that this article is about the trip not her, but as I replied, “Graham the trip was awesome, but without your spirit and fortitude, there would have been no trip.” No one deserves it more than Graham who has selflessly given herself to her friends and her family for many years, and she deserves every blessing that she gets.
by Gwin Tugman