The Descendants of William Graham Sr. and Sarah Jacobs
Bobby Teachey II
Member
Bobby Teachey II, MPM, LEED GA, is an accomplished civil engineer, construction-management professional, mentor, community leader, and United States Army veteran. A native of North Carolina, Teachey represents another distinguished branch of the descendants of William Graham, Sr. and Sarah Jacobs-Graham. He is their fourth great-grandson, carrying forward a family legacy rooted deeply in southeastern North Carolina.
Bobby Teachey II’s paternal grandfather was Levi Elmore Dixon of East Arcadia, North Carolina, who lived to the remarkable age of 102 (1911–2013).
Teachey is the son of Bobby Teachey I and Ruth Dixon. His father, Bobby Teachey, Sr. (1949–2006), was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and raised in Teachey in Duplin County. A veteran of the Vietnam War, the elder Teachey served in the United States Army and later became a barber, businessman, and church deacon.
Following his father's example of military service, Bobby Teachey II served eight years in the United States Army Reserve, rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant. His military career included service during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003–2004. His service earned him military honors, including the National Defense Service Medal.
After his military service, Teachey established an impressive career in engineering and construction management. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T) in 2008 and later completed a Master of Project Management degree from Keller Graduate School of Management in 2011. He has also been recognized as a Riley Institute Diversity Fellow at Furman University.
Teachey's professional career has involved the planning and management of major construction projects throughout the Southeast. His project experience includes such prominent developments as the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina; MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital; NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte; North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis; Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort; and the Four Seasons Resort at Walt Disney World.
In 2015, Teachey joined Brownstone Construction Group, where he advanced into senior leadership positions. His work extends beyond managing buildings and infrastructure. He has been committed to increasing opportunities within the construction profession and helping prepare the next generation of engineers, contractors, and project managers.
Mentorship has been an important part of Teachey's professional life. Through his involvement with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and ACE Mentors of Greater Charleston, he has encouraged young people to pursue careers in engineering, architecture, and construction. He has also assisted efforts to strengthen minority-owned contracting businesses through education in areas such as bonding, risk management, business development, and joint ventures.
His achievements have earned recognition within the construction and engineering industries. Building Design + Construction named him to its 40 Under 40 Class of 2019, and Engineering News-Record Southeast selected him as one of its 2020 Top Young Professionals. By the time of his 40 Under 40 recognition, Teachey had contributed to the construction and management of more than 3.5 million square feet of facilities and approximately $2 billion in projects.
Elder Dr. Pearly Berlette Graham-Hoskins, MD
Elder Dr. Pearly Berlette Graham-Hoskins, MD is a distinguished North Carolina physician, Christian minister, community servant, and second great-granddaughter of William Graham, Sr. and Sarah Jacobs-Graham.
Dr. Graham-Hoskins pursued a career in medicine during an era when African American women remained significantly underrepresented in the medical profession. She earned her medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine in 1977 and continued her postgraduate medical training in internal medicine. Her training included an internship at Howard University in Washington, D.C., followed by additional residency training in North Carolina.
Board certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Graham-Hoskins established a long career caring for the people of southeastern North Carolina. She became particularly associated with Bladen County and Elizabethtown, providing medical care to adult and elderly patients. Her professional affiliations have included Cape Fear Valley Health and medical practices serving the Bladen County community.
Her service to others extends well beyond the medical profession. Known in the church as Elder Dr. Pearly Graham-Hoskins, she serves as Pastor of Tabernacle Believers Holiness Church, located at 549 Youngstown Road in Riegelwood, North Carolina.
Her leadership at Tabernacle Believers Holiness Church carries a special family legacy. Her great-grandfather, Henry Graham, the sixth child of William Graham, Sr. and Sarah Jacobs-Graham, was among those who helped establish the church. Generations later, Dr. Graham-Hoskins continues that tradition of faith and service through her own pastoral leadership.
Dr. Graham-Hoskins has also participated in North Carolina's broader health-care community. She has been listed as a member of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, an organization that brings together leaders from medicine, public health, academia, government, and other fields to address important health issues affecting the people of North Carolina.
Her life represents an exceptional continuation of the legacy established by William Graham, Sr. and Sarah Jacobs-Graham. From a family with roots extending deep into nineteenth-century southeastern North Carolina came a descendant who achieved distinction as both a physician and pastor, dedicating her life to caring for people in body and spirit.
Elder Dr. Pearly Berlette Graham-Hoskins stands among the accomplished descendants of William Graham, Sr. and Sarah Jacobs-Graham. Her decades of service in medicine, ministry, and community leadership reflect a Graham family legacy of faith, perseverance, education, achievement, and service to others.
Garry Alander “Pete” Keaton is a retired United States Air Force veteran, longtime public servant, and Mayor of the Town of Sandyfield in Columbus County, North Carolina. He is also the fifth great-grandson of William Graham, Sr. and Sarah Jacobs-Graham, carrying forward a family legacy deeply rooted in the communities of southeastern North Carolina.
Keaton was born into a family with a strong tradition of community involvement. He is the son of the late Deacon Garry Keaton, Sr. and Mary Frances Graham Keaton. His father became the first elected Mayor of Sandyfield in 1995, serving until 2003 and helping guide the young municipality during its formative years. Years later, his son would follow in his footsteps.
After high school, Garry Keaton enlisted in the United States Air Force, beginning a military career that lasted 20 years. Following his retirement from the Air Force, he returned home to the Sandyfield area, where his parents and extended family had deep roots. In a 2026 interview, Keaton explained that he had always wanted to return home after completing his military career.
In 2009, Keaton continued his family's tradition of public service when he became Mayor of Sandyfield. His father stood beside him and held the Bible as he took the oath of office.
Keaton has since become one of Sandyfield's longest-serving municipal leaders. He was reelected in the November 2023 municipal election.
His leadership is especially significant in a community where family, history, and local government are closely connected. In 2026, WHQR reported that Keaton had served as Sandyfield's mayor for more than 15 years. He described Sandyfield as a place where a large percentage of residents know one another and many are connected through blood or marriage. He also emphasized the importance of incorporation in giving local residents a greater voice in decisions concerning development and the future of their community.
Mayor Keaton also represents Sandyfield in regional government. The Cape Fear Council of Governments lists him as the Columbus Municipal 2 representative on the Rural Transportation Advisory Committee for the 2025–2026 term.
As a fifth great-grandson of William Graham, Sr. and Sarah Jacobs-Graham, Mayor Garry A. Keaton represents another generation of the extended Graham family whose descendants have contributed to the civic, military, religious, educational, and community life of southeastern North Carolina. His career—from two decades of service in the United States Air Force to more than fifteen years leading his hometown—reflects a continuing tradition of service to both country and community.
Mayor Garry A. Keaton's story is one of service, homecoming, family legacy, and leadership—a descendant who returned to the community of his ancestors and devoted himself to helping guide its future.
Mayor Garry A. Keaton
Dr. Travis S. Andrews is an accomplished counselor, educator, behavioral-health executive, entrepreneur, and public servant whose life and career reflect a strong commitment to community, education, and service. A native of East Arcadia in Bladen County, North Carolina, Dr. Andrews returned to serve the community that helped shape him and currently serves as Mayor of the Town of East Arcadia.
Dr. Andrews is also the fourth great-grandson of William Graham Sr. and Sarah Jacobs-Graham, connecting him to one of the historic Graham family lines of southeastern North Carolina. Through this ancestry, he represents a new generation of descendants whose accomplishments in education, professional service, business, and civic leadership continue the Graham family's longstanding connection to the Bladen and Columbus County region.
Dr. Andrews earned his Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Counseling and Counselor Education from North Carolina A&T State University in 2020. He also earned a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from North Carolina A&T State University and later completed a certificate in Forensic Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of Florida. His professional credentials include Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor in North Carolina, Licensed Professional Counselor credentials in other states, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, National Certified Counselor and Approved Clinical Supervisor.
His professional career has combined clinical counseling with rehabilitation, disability services, vocational assessment, forensic evaluation, education, and organizational leadership. In 2017, he founded Andrews Counseling & Consulting, PLLC, which developed into a multi-site behavioral-health organization serving communities in North Carolina and beyond. His work has particularly focused on individuals and families affected by intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, trauma, mental-health conditions, and barriers to employment.
Dr. Andrews has also served as a Social Security Administration Vocational Expert and as a North Carolina Local Certified Forensic Evaluator. His forensic and vocational work includes evaluating employability, work capacity, transferable skills, earning capacity, disability, and labor-market issues. He later established The Vocational Standard, LLC, expanding his work with attorneys, insurers, employers, government agencies, and individuals dealing with complex vocational and disability matters.
Education has been another important part of his career. Dr. Andrews has held faculty appointments at several institutions, including the University of Kentucky, Clark Atlanta University, Kentucky State University, Liberty University, and North Carolina A&T State University. His teaching and scholarship have addressed rehabilitation counseling, disability, mental health, professional counseling, representation within the counseling professions, and the experiences of underserved communities.
Despite building a career that took him well beyond his hometown, Dr. Andrews maintained a strong connection to East Arcadia. In 2023, he was appointed and subsequently elected Mayor of East Arcadia, the Bladen County community where he was raised. His public service has included work involving community development, municipal infrastructure, recreational improvements, and projects intended to strengthen services available to town residents.
His professional life therefore spans several worlds—the counseling room, classroom, courtroom, boardroom, and town hall. Whether assisting individuals with disabilities, educating future counselors, building behavioral-health organizations, providing vocational expertise, or serving his hometown as mayor, Dr. Andrews has centered much of his work on improving opportunities and services for others.
As the fourth great-grandson of William Graham Sr. and Sarah Jacobs-Graham, Dr. Travis S. Andrews adds another distinguished chapter to the history of their descendants. His journey from East Arcadia to advanced academic achievement, professional leadership, entrepreneurship, and ultimately back home to elected public service illustrates the continuing legacy of a family whose roots in southeastern North Carolina extend across generations.
Dr. Travis S. Andrews — counselor, educator, entrepreneur, community leader, and Mayor of East Arcadia — represents a modern continuation of the William Graham Sr. and Sarah Jacobs-Graham family legacy.
