[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 27, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H1270]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE LIFE OF REVEREND BILLY GRAHAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. McHenry) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy 
of a great American, a messenger for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 
and arguably the finest man North Carolina has ever produced: the 
Reverend Billy Graham.
  William Franklin Graham, Jr., was born in 1919 in Charlotte, North 
Carolina, where he grew up the son of a farmer. In 1939, he was 
ordained as a minister; thus, beginning what would be his life's 
calling.
  It was in 1949 that Reverend Graham gained the international 
prominence he is known for today. It was that year that he hosted his 
Los Angeles Crusade. Originally scheduled to last only 3 weeks, it 
ended up continuing for over 2 months. Throughout that time, huge 
crowds came to hear Reverend Graham spread the gospel of Christ.
  In the years following the Los Angeles Crusade, Reverend Graham's 
stature only grew. He traveled across the United States and around the 
world to spread the good word and encourage his fellow men and women to 
find salvation with Christ and in Christ. He would fill everything from 
small churches to massive football stadiums.
  According to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Reverend 
Graham preached to over 215 million people in over 185 countries and 
territories around the world during his life. But his influence did not 
stop there.
  Throughout his ministry, Reverend Graham became known as America's 
Pastor, serving as a moral compass for our Nation. He served as a 
spiritual adviser to countless American and international political 
leaders and civic leaders, including every American President since 
Harry Truman.
  In the 1950s and 1960s, he joined with Martin Luther King, Jr., for 
integrated crusades, a powerful statement from a White southerner at 
that time. He delivered invocations at the inaugurations of four 
American Presidents. In 1983, he was awarded our Nation's highest 
civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Ronald 
Reagan.
  Following the horrific attacks on our Nation on September 11, 2001, 
it was Reverend Graham who comforted our Nation from the pulpit of 
Washington's National Cathedral.

  While best known for his work as America's Pastor, there is much more 
to Reverend Graham. Foremost among those was his marriage to his 
beloved wife, Ruth. Reverend Graham and Ruth met at Illinois' Wheaton 
College, but it was Ruth's hometown of Montreat, a small town in 
western North Carolina's Swannanoa Valley, which I am honored to 
represent in North Carolina, that they chose to call home. It is a 
small town, a humble town.
  It was at the Gaither Chapel on the campus of Montreat College where 
Reverend Graham and Ruth were married in 1943. From there, the Grahams 
built a home on Montreat's Little Piney Ridge. It was at that home that 
the Graham's raised their five children: Virginia, Anne, Ruth, 
Franklin, and Nelson. Certainly, Reverend Graham's public works were 
extraordinary, but what he and Ruth built as a family is enduring, 
indeed.
  While an international icon for his work spreading the gospel of 
Christ, Reverend Graham and his family were simply great neighbors to 
the American people of Montreat and the nearby town of Black Mountain. 
According to a story in the Black Mountain News, Reverend Graham was 
known to occasionally attend services at Swannanoa's First Baptist 
Church, play golf at the Black Mountain Golf Course, and grab lunch at 
the Coach House restaurant in town.
  One of the finest moments of my career was having the opportunity to 
serve as Reverend Graham's Representative in Washington when his home 
in Montreat was placed in the 10th District. It was then that I had the 
honor of traveling up Little Piney Ridge to visit Reverend Graham in 
his home. The personal kindness and hospitality he showed in inviting 
me into his home is something that I will never forget.
  I extend my deepest condolences to each of Reverend Graham's five 
children, to all their grandchildren and great-grandchildren who have 
lost a mentor and a friend. As a nation, we are forever indebted to 
Reverend Graham for his years of service to our State, our Nation, and 
to this world. It is only befitting that tomorrow Reverend Graham will 
return here to Washington one final time to lie in honor in the rotunda 
of this great building.
  Mr. Speaker, I conclude by noting that Reverend Graham has passed on 
from this world, but he has moved into the kingdom he preached about 
for so many years. He has rejoined his beloved wife, Ruth, and has 
finally been called home to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ following 
a life well lived.

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