This September will mark the 70th Anniversary of an event that catapulted evangelist Billy Graham to virtual stardom overnight. Legend has it that during Graham 's 1949 Los Angeles Christian Crusade tent meetings, the newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst, from his office miles away, jotted down two words that changed history: "Puff Graham."
As Billy Graham's grandson, Will Graham tells it, "Something happened with the media that night. All the media showed up in 1949, and that's what made my grandfather famous across the country.. and really started going around the world after that."
Will says before that, his grandfather was a nobody by his own admission. But, "1949 was a watershed moment. Those were his words, was a watershed moment for him."
FRANKLIN GRAHAM: MY FATHER BILLY GRAHAM'S LEGACY LIVES ON, ONE YEAR AFTER HIS DEATH
It's not certain if the Hearst/Graham story is part urban myth or totally fact. Will contends, "My granddaddy and William Randolph Hearst never talked in their life. He [Hearst] would die one or two years later. They never met, never talked."
What is true is that the world was introduced to Billy Graham and his unique Christian ministry on the basis of that Los Angeles crusade. From that point on, he became almost larger than life. He was the first evangelist to make good use of media; radio, Television and of course Newspapers. With his Hollywood good looks and tall stature, he attracted millions. And with his simple message about Jesus's love, he cut through denominational barriers to bring Christians, both Protestants and Catholics, together to hear him preach.
His other legacy is being known as "America's Pastor" and "Pastor to the Presidents," having given spiritual advice and counsel to every president from Harry Truman to Barack Obama. In the book, "The Preacher and the Presidents", authors Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy wrote, "It was Billy Graham alone, inserted into history at just the ripe moment, who became the unrivaled global ambassador for Christ."
Furthering explaining his legacy, the authors point out, "Graham is believed to have spoken face-to-face with more people in more places than anyone in history, having preached the gospel of 210 million people in 185 countries in 417 crusades over the course of more than a half century."
But it is Will Graham's more intimate look at Graham's legacy that solidifies the impression that Graham was the same in public as he was in private. In Will Graham's first book, Redeemed: Devotions for the Longing Soul", he recounts how during one of his grandfather's crusades, he ran past the security guards to see his granddaddy. The ten-year-old Will, not realizing all those thousands of people were there to see his grandfather, was suddenly halted by a strong armed guard who said, "Excuse me, but the line is over there." Will writes, "My grandfather turned towards the commotion, and I'll never forget what happened next.
"A broad, gracious smile spread across his face. He spread his arms wide open and called me to him, and I lunged into his embrace....that day, many people saw the 'private' man that I always called, 'Daddy Bill.' His big, encompassing hug made it feel as if I were the only person in the room."
For the last few years of his life, Billy Graham was confined to his simple home in Montreat, North Carolina. He prayed daily, read his Bible continually... and had the occasional visitor, family, friends, and those lucky enough to get invited.
Graham died last February, a few months shy of his 100th birthday. His son Franklin Graham, Will's father and also a pastor, now heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. His daughter Anne Graham Lotz is said to have her dad's fiery preaching style and ease with drawing listeners to the Word of God.
Many people have asked, 'Who's the new Billy Graham? Who has taken his place?" And the answer is, many people have risen to become new evangelists preaching to generations that need to hear the Gospel related to today's times. Rick Warren, Dr. Tim Keller and TD Jakes are three names that come immediately to mind. But there are plenty of others, some known, and some unknown. You can't speak to hundreds of millions of people, written scores of books and had met with heads of state and royalty over a half century, and not leave something of yourself behind.
For Will, one of his greatest blessings and honors was completing the circle, so to speak, of Daddy Bill's march into history. He played his grandfather in the movie, "Unbroken: Path to Redemption," which takes up where the Angelina Jolie movie "Unbroken," leaves off. It's about Louis Zamperini's Christian conversion which takes place at a Camp Meeting in Los Angeles, in 1949. And the rest, as they say... is history.