Shellee Graham: Graphic designer, photographer, author, Route 66 advocate 

9/3/2025
Interview by Route 66 Centennial Staff

Shellee Graham is a graphic designer, photographer, author and Route 66 advocate. She was  honored as a recipient of the John Steinbeck Award for Historic Preservation, and her work has also appeared in regional, national and international shows. In the mid-2000s, she co-authored two additional books, the award-winning Route 66 Sightings, and Secret Route 66, and in 2018, she joined the non-profit Route 66 Co-Op for a three year preservation project to save the historic and endangered Painted Desert Trading Post in Arizona.  In 2023, she and her husband Jim adopted Scout, a blue heeler mix rescue dog that had been abandoned on Route 66 in Bridgeport, Oklahoma. "We are truly a Route 66 family" she said. 

Q: What is your relationship with Route 66?

First, I live right on an original alignment of Route 66 in central Oklahoma. Our street was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Every day, we observe the bicycles, motorcycles, and vehicles that are getting their kicks on Route 66. Secondly, I volunteer weekly at the iconic landmark, the Round Barn, in Arcadia. It’s an honor to greet travelers from all over the United States and around the world. 

I’ve been promoting the Mother Road since the early 1990s with a touring photography exhibition that lasted over two decades, authoring a couple of books (the first in 1998). My husband Jim Ross and I were married by Michael Wallis in our backyard during a surprise wedding at a Route 66 event. As a graphic designer, I’ve been privileged to have created designs and logos for different fundraisers and Route 66 businesses.

What does Route 66 mean to you? 

Route 66 is fun, friendly, and an escape from your troubles. You encounter like-minded people who are discovering the open road full of adventure. Like Mark Twain said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice.” When you get out and participate, you learn about the linear community with people and places that span all cultures and landscapes.

How will you celebrate 100 years of Route 66? 

The celebration has already started. I designed a 100-year Centennial logo for the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, then collaborated (with my husband Jim Ross) on a big two-and-a-half-year book project called “Route 66—The First 100 Years,” published May 2025 by Reedy Press. Of course, I will celebrate with my husband and friends by participating in events and promoting Route 66 in central Oklahoma and beyond.

When did your passion for Route 66 begin? 

My passion for the road began when I was living in St. Louis, and I discovered that you could still drive Route 66, seeing the older signs and architecture. I was reading an article by Daniel Baldwin in a photography magazine. The photographs were so great, and his words inspired me to jump on Interstate 44 and exit near Six Flags. I had my camera with black and white film, and I began to take pictures. Very soon, I became involved with the Route 66 Association of Missouri in 1991-92. I was so excited about Route 66, I wanted to share it with other people. My first photography exhibition, “Return to Route 66: Photographs from the Mother Road,” was at Crestwood Plaza on Watson Road (66) in St. Louis in 1992, during the 66th Anniversary. I was thrilled to have a show in a shopping mall built in 1957, across the street from the 66 Park-In Theatre (1947) and down the street from the famous Coral Court Motel (1942). 

Do you have a favorite location on Route 66? 

That’s not a fair question. I have enjoyed the feeling of walking among the ruins of a motor court, service station, café, trading post, or tourist trap, and feeling the energy. The sense of discovery, especially early in the renaissance, was heightened by the prevalence of vintage neon signs along the road. There were no historic Route 66 signs, no cell phones, and you just had to figure it out. There’s a great awestruck emotion when you cruise down Main Street of America in Tucumcari in the early 1990s when Lillian Redman was the proprietor of the Blue Swallow Motel. You didn’t mind that the motel was a little run-down. You were just grateful to be sheltered in an actual, vintage motel with a 50-year-old neon sign buzzing in front of the lobby. Awesome. Perhaps your first few trips may be the most special because it’s so new, like young love.

What is your hope for Route 66 during the next 100 years? 

We must continue to work on preserving the vintage landmarks, collaborating with people, applying for grants, and working toward the betterment of these places. One thing we have always talked about is education for people who own historic properties. Teach them to keep and maintain the old whenever possible. Introduce them to people who can assist them. I will continue volunteering and working with non-profit entities like the Round Barn and Threatt Filling Station, recruiting volunteers and promoting these places to help others discover and love them as I do.

Learn more about Shellee Graham

Couple photo by Galen Culver
Dog phot by Shellee Graham