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