Hester Graham Shultz

Hester Graham Shultz, 96, died Dec. 31, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was known for her determined attitude in the face of adversity, her devotion to her family, and for her more than two decades of dedication to the City of Indianapolis as a civil servant. Hester was a pioneer for working women as well as an early champion of anti-tobacco initiatives that led to Indiana’s adoption of smoke-free laws.

Hester Louise Graham was born on Easter Sunday, March 27, 1921, to Hinkle and Mary Graham in Sullivan, Indiana. Her family’s life on a small farm during the Great Depression shaped Hester’s indefatigable approach to challenges. She attended Sullivan High School, enrolled at Indiana University in Bloomington in the first cohort of women admitted to the business school, and earned a degree in business administration in 1942. For the rest of her life she spoke fondly of her time in Bloomington.

After raising her family, Hester worked for the Indianapolis mayor’s office for more than two decades. She served the administrations of Richard Lugar and Bill Hudnut, running a variety of social service programs, including services for handicapped citizens and job-training programs.

After her retirement, Hester dedicated her time to her family and to her favorite cause, the establishment of anti-tobacco laws in Indiana. In the 1990s, she was a fervent and outspoken voice on the health threats of smoking and second-hand smoke with the Coalition for a Smoke Free Indiana. For her work in this area, she was recognized with a community service award from Drug-Free Marion County.

Hester is survived by her daughter, Marilyn Shultz Evans, and was preceded in death by her son, Theodore Graham Shultz, M.D.  She is also survived by eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren as well as countless honorary children and grandchildren whose lives she nurtured over the years.

A family memorial will be held this spring. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Indiana State Department of Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation program at:

ISDH Healthy Hoosiers Foundation

c/o Scott Zarazee

2 N. Meridian St.

Indianapolis, IN 46204