The 22-year-old former South River High School student had just graduated from college with a degree in creative writing.
He was on a cross-country trip visiting old friends in the Annapolis area when he was stabbed to death earlier this week, according to his family.
His body was found by police behind the Cherry Grove Shopping Center off Forest Drive around 2:20 a.m. Wednesday.
He had attended South River for his freshman and sophomore years before his family moved to Carlsbad, Cal., where he graduated from high school in 2005. He then went on to the University of California at Santa Cruz and became a writer.
His family issued a statement yesterday, noting he played the tuba in the marching band at South River and that "he loved his friends in Maryland."
"Ken's humor, creativity, and quirky spirit will be missed by all of us," the statement said.
He had been involved in Kids for Peace, an international organization run by his sister Danielle Gram, a student at Harvard University in Boston, Mass.
He was especially fond of an Edgewater woman who had accompanied him on part of his cross-country trip over the past several weeks, according to his family.
She is a fellow artist, and they had been friends since middle school. Danielle Gram said the woman was too distraught over his death to talk about it.
Police are still seeking information on the case. Gram died on the scene from multiple stab wounds, police said.
Witnesses interviewed said he was at an Annapolis bar earlier Tuesday night when he got into an altercation. Police have requested the location of the bar not be published because of the ongoing investigation.
Police do not know how he got to the area where he was found.
On his last trip to the area friends took him to a seafood buffet on the Eastern Shore, his family said. He wrote about the night and engorging himself on the array of seafood and beer, to the point of being sick. "But I didn't feel sick," he wrote. "I hadn't been so happy in years."
His family is holding a beach bonfire Nov. 27 on Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, Cal., to honor Gram's spirit. A more formal ceremony will be held Dec. 19.
"My family would also like to ask for prayers for the murderer and that person's family, in addition to his friends and family," Danielle Gram said. "We want prayers for peace."
They have also suggested donations be made to the University of California at Santa Cruz creative writing program.
For information about donations, the family has set up a special e-mail, family ofkengram@yahoo.com.
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Condolences - 2009-11-21 19:19:50
First and foremost I'd like to extend my condolences to The Gram family...However It makes me really upset that this news is just hitting the newspaper, I feel as though because he was a white male that maybe people made it seem as though he wasn't important. I mean come on people this guy was found on Wednesday this should have been in the paper on Wednesday....I mean people go away and come back to visit and they don't return to their hometown safely please we need to pray for peace in our world because alot of people have too much malice in their hearts.
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S B - Glen Burnie, md - Karma: Neutral
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Very sad indeed - 2009-11-21 07:50:07
But is this story getting buried because the victim is white?
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Peter Dennis - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral
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Very Sad - 2009-11-21 00:21:47
I want to say that I work with Ken's sister Danielle Gram as a board member of Kids For Peace (www.kidsforpeaceusa.org)and although I didn't know Ken, I do know that he was an amazing spirit. We are all truly saddened by this news here in California and on behalf of Kids For Peace members everywhere we send our message of peace throughout the world in honor of Ken and his fine family.
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Julie Gengo - Cardiff by the Sea, CA - Karma: Neutral
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Quit sad - 2009-11-20 17:09:17
I hope our Police catch the perpetrators.
Condolences to Mr. Gram's family.
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Paul O'Flanagan - West River, MD - Karma: Excellent
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Condolences - 2009-11-20 17:05:54
To the families that are effected by this tragedy.
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Emmaline Giles - West River, MD - Karma: Terrible
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what took so long? - 2009-11-20 16:11:20
I am very surprised that a violent murder was committed in Annapolis and it took the Capital (at least online) 2 days to report this...Isn't the whole point of having a web page to report breaking news?
And how many murders have there been in Annapolis this year? More information, please!
My condolences to to Mr. Gram's family - he sounded like a lovely person. What a shame!
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jane smith - annapolis, md - Karma: Good
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