[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17262-17263]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    MOURNING THE LOSS OF RUTH GRAHAM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HEATH SHULER

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 25, 2007

  Mr. SHULER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the memory of 
Ruth Bell Graham, wife of the Reverend Billy Graham. On Thursday, June 
14, 2007, Ruth Graham passed away, after being bed-ridden for several 
months with pneumonia, surrounded by her husband and all five of her 
children. She may be best known as the wife of the world-famous

[[Page 17263]]

evangelist Reverend Billy Graham, but Ruth made her own mark on the 
world as an author, poet, mother, and spiritual leader in her own 
right.
  Ruth Bell, the second child of five children, grew up in China where 
her parents were missionaries. They instilled in her the dependence on 
the Bible for strength and guidance. Reverend Billy Graham would later 
confide in her, relying on her knowledge of the Scripture and her 
strength of character as guidance.
  Due to her husband's travels, she bore major responsibility for 
raising the couple's five children: Franklin (William Franklin III), 
Nelson, Virginia, Anne, and Ruth.
  Ruth Graham was the author or co-author of 14 books, including 
collections of poetry and the autobiographical scrapbook ``Footprints 
of a Pilgrim.''
  In 1996, the Grahams were each awarded the Congressional Gold Medal 
for ``outstanding and lasting contributions to morality, racial 
equality, family, philanthropy, and religion.''
  She helped establish the Ruth and Billy Graham Children's Health 
Center in Asheville, and the Billy Graham Training Center near 
Montreat.
  I am honored to have Reverend and Mrs. Graham as two of my 
constituents in Western North Carolina. The Grahams moved to Montreat 
many decades ago, and have made an indelible mark on the area. I have 
the utmost respect for Reverend Graham.
  Madam Speaker, the legacy of Ruth Graham will live on long after she 
is gone. Ruth Bell Graham has served her Lord for a lifetime, and it is 
an honor to have served Ruth Graham in the United States Congress.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing remorse for the loss of 
Ruth Graham and may God bless and comfort the family and friends she 
has left behind.

                          ____________________