Evangelist Billy Graham died on Feb. 21. Here is a timeline of his life:
— 1918: Born Nov. 7 in Charlotte, N.C.
— 1934: Made personal commitment to Christ during Charlotte, N.C., revival meeting.
— 1936: Earned money for college as a Fuller Brush salesman. Attended Bob Jones College in Cleveland, Tenn.
— 1937-40: Attended and graduated from Florida Bible Institute near Tampa, Fla.
— 1939: Ordained to the ministry in a Southern Baptist church in Florida.
— 1943: Graduated from Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill. Married Ruth McCue Bell.
— 1943-45: Pastor, First Baptist Church, Western Springs, Ill.
— 1945-50: Charter vice president, Youth for Christ International, Chicago.
— 1947-52: President, Northwestern Schools, which included a liberal arts college, Bible school, and theological seminary in Minneapolis.
— 1949: Gained national attention with Los Angeles crusade.
— 1950: Founded Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Minneapolis. Began weekly “Hour of Decision” radio program. Began Billy Graham Films, which became World Wide Pictures in 1952.
— 1952: Started “My Answer,” syndicated newspaper column.
— 1956: Founded Christianity Today magazine.
— 1957: Led a New York City crusade in Madison Square Garden nightly for 16 weeks.
— 1966: Convened the World Congress on Evangelism in Berlin.
— 1974: Convened the Lausanne Conference for religious leaders to develop evangelism strategies.
— 1982: Awarded Templeton Foundation Prize for Progress in Religion.
— 1989: Received star on Hollywood Walk of Fame; first clergyman to receive the honor.
— 1995: His ministry transmitted a “Global Mission” evangelistic conference via satellite to 185 countries in 116 languages. His son Franklin, also an evangelist, is named eventual successor to lead Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
— 1996: Awarded Congressional Gold Medal.
— 1999: First non-musician inducted into Gospel Music Hall of Fame by the Gospel Music Association.
— 2000: His ministry sponsored Amsterdam 2000, an international meeting of evangelists.
— 2002: Son Franklin Graham named president of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
— 2005: Hosted dedication ceremony with son, Franklin, at new headquarters of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Charlotte, N.C. Preached last New York City crusade.
— 2007: Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C., opened. Ruth Graham, his wife of more than 63 years, died.
— 2018: Died on Feb. 21 at age 99.
Adelle M. Banks is production editor and a national correspondent at RNS.
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