Billy Graham

 Billy Graham's California Crusades & A Personal Interview

Billy Graham's body lies in honor inside the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. from Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 until 10 a.m. Thursday, March 1st. He is the fourth private person to have this unique distinction. The public can pay their last respects to the man, who grew up on a farm and ended up being the advisor to 12 Presidents—Republicans and Democrats alike—and to hundreds of millions of people around the globe.

By C. MacDonald

The late Billy Graham held huge crusades in more than 10 California cities, as part of his six decades of in-person preaching to millions of people here and in many countries. Reruns of his energetic revivals can still be seen on television.
His impact on Californians and people everywhere is amazing. Rev. Graham's books and newspaper columns have been well-known for more than half a century. Yet, this son of a North Carolina farmer was not always the enthusiastic, evangelical pastor, whose voice could be heard across a stadium.

In 1973, I got to talk with him, one-on-one, following his memorial service for Copley Newspapers and Media Empire Publisher James Copley at the University of San Diego. I was assigned to help veteran reporter Dick Desick cover the service.

I approached Rev. Graham after he had finished his eulogy and was walking out by himself to the sidewalk. It was a surreal feeling because it was just Billy and me. No one else was around as I approached the man many called, "America's Pastor."

I greeted him and he looked me right in the eyes. In the more than 50 years I've interviewed people, I've never seen eyes like Billy's. Looking into them was like looking into a blue sky with white clouds. There definitely was something spiritual about him.

Rev. Graham was very humble, soft-spoken and answered my questions very quietly and thoughtfully. He was friendly and patiently talked to me. The friend of Dr. Martin Luther King said, "Racial prejudice, anti-semitism or hatred with different beliefs has no place in the human mind or heart."

I mentioned how life is a roller-coaster ride, that when your car is racing downhill, hang on, trust in the Lord and it will come back up. He said, "Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, waiting and growing, practicing patience and being persistent."

The man enjoyed giving advice to the masses as much as to World Leaders. "Courage is contagious. When a brave (person) takes a stand, the spines of others are straightened," said the man, who wasn't caught up in his own importance. He loved Abraham Lincoln's quote: "I feel sorry for the man, who can't feel the whip being laid on another man's back."

In 1949, Graham started his huge, tent crusades in Los Angeles and he later had revivals in San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, Fresno, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Anaheim and elsewhere in "The Golden State."

I took my young son to see his Anaheim Crusade on July 28, 1985. That Sunday set an Anaheim Stadium attendance record. Johnny and June Cash performed and a huge choir, made up of numerous churches, sang several songs. One of the choir members was Deanna Ntzouras, former owner of Gyro Kabob in Sunset Beach. "It's a day I will never forget," she said.

Likewise for my chat with Rev. Graham.

His presence will be felt for many years to come in California and elsewhere, thanks to his son, Franklin, his other kids and his evangelical association.