SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 72
In Memory
of
William Franklin Graham Jr.
WHEREAS, The passing of acclaimed evangelist Billy Graham
on February 21, 2018, at the age of 99, deeply saddened the
millions of people who looked to him for wisdom, hope, and
comfort; and
WHEREAS, Born on November 7, 1918, William Franklin Graham
Jr. grew up on a dairy farm in Charlotte, North Carolina; at the
age of 15, he recognized his calling, and he enrolled in the
Florida Bible Institute and then Wheaton College, where he met
his future wife, Ruth McCue Bell; after graduating in 1943, the
couple married and settled in the mountains of North Carolina;
they raised five children, Gigi, Anne, Ruth, Franklin, and Ned,
and through the years, Mr. Graham knew the joy of welcoming into
his family 19 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren; he
and his wife shared a fulfilling relationship that spanned 64
years before her death in 2007; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Graham traveled as a speaker for Youth for
Christ before holding his first official evangelistic event in
1947; two years later, his planned three-week series of tent
meetings in Los Angeles drew such huge crowds that it was
extended to eight weeks, and he launched the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association; his crusades became an international
phenomenon as he preached to millions in countries as diverse as
Ethiopia, New Zealand, Russia, and South Korea; in 1977, his trip
to communist-led Hungary paved the way for missions in virtually
every country of the Eastern Bloc, as well as China and North
Korea; and
WHEREAS, The author of 34 books, Mr. Graham penned a
memoir, Just As I Am, which held a spot on the New York Times
bestseller list for 18 weeks; he counseled a host of secular
leaders, including every United States president from Harry S
Truman to Barack Obama; and
WHEREAS, Billy Graham provided spiritual guidance to
innumerable people around the world over the course of a lifetime
devoted to the ministry, and his legacy will remain a source of
inspiration for years to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th
Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the memory of Billy Graham and
extend sincere condolences to all who mourn his passing.
Hughes
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on January 28, 2019, by
a rising vote.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate