[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 160 (Wednesday, September 16, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H4431-H4432]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  MEMORIALIZING REVEREND BILLY GRAHAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to announce that 
a familiar figure within North Carolina's history will soon be featured 
here in the United States Capitol.
  On July 22, I came to the floor and spoke about how the first 
Republican majority in the North Carolina legislature in over 40 years 
voted in 2015 to replace the current statue of Charles Aycock in the 
Capitol with a statue of Billy Graham. A week later, on July 29, a 
committee within the North Carolina's General Assembly unanimously 
approved a model of Reverend Graham's statue and commissioned a 
sculptor to create a life-sized model.

[[Page H4432]]

  The level of expediency in this process is a true testament to how 
Reverend Graham was revered not only in North Carolina, but also across 
the world. Recently, President Trump has expressed his support for a 
statue of Reverend Graham to be commissioned, and he even suggested 
that Reverend Graham would be memorialized in a new statuary park known 
as the ``National Garden of American Heroes.''
  Reverend Graham came from humble beginnings in Charlotte, North 
Carolina, where he was raised on a dairy farm in the early 1920s.
  During his lifetime, he counseled foreign dignitaries, numerous 
Presidents, members of the Royal family, and many other significant 
public figures.
  However, his work was not solely consigned to the upper echelons of 
government or politics. His life's work was dedicated to the millions 
of people around the world who sought Jesus Christ as their one true 
Lord and savior.
  He once described being a Christian as, ``more than just an 
instantaneous conversion. It is a daily process whereby you grow to be 
more and more like Christ.''
  In 2018, Reverend Graham passed away at the age of 99, and to say 
that he left an indelible mark on society would be an understatement. 
For years, I have advocated for Reverend Graham to have a place within 
the hallowed Halls of the Capitol, and I am so pleased that the 
millions of people who visit the Capitol every year will soon be able 
to view his statue.

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