Whereas William Billy F. Graham, Jr., was born on November 7, 1918, in Charlotte, North Carolina; Whereas, in 1939, Reverend Graham was ordained by Peniel Baptist Church in Florida; Whereas Reverend Graham studied at Florida Bible Institute and graduated from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, in 1943; Whereas Reverend Graham married his wife of nearly 64 years, Ruth McCue Bell, in 1943; Whereas Reverend Graham had 3 daughters, 2 sons, 19 grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren; Whereas, in 1950, Reverend Graham founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which is based in Charlotte, North Carolina; Whereas Reverend Graham preached to nearly 215,000,000 individuals in more than 185 countries and territories on 6 continents; Whereas Reverend Graham provided spiritual counsel for every President since Harry Truman; Whereas Reverend Graham prayed with members of the Armed Forces in combat zones in South Korea and Vietnam; Whereas Reverend Graham spoke against the communist Soviet Union, saying, Communism has decided against God, against Christ, against the Bible, and against all religion. ; Whereas Reverend Graham— (1) fought for racial integration; (2) invited Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to preach with him in New York City in 1957; and (3) bailed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., out of jail when Dr. King was arrested for protesting segregation; Whereas, following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Reverend Graham spoke words of hope and comfort to the people of the United States at the Washington National Cathedral; Whereas Reverend Graham authored 34 books, including the bestselling autobiography, Just as I Am , which began by discussing his early days on a dairy farm in North Carolina and continued through his career as a preacher and evangelist; and Whereas Reverend Graham received numerous honors, including— (1) the North Carolina Award for Public Service; (2) the Presidential Medal of Freedom; (3) the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award