Evangelist Billy Graham turns 90 today.
“A blond, trumpet-lunged North Carolinian” Time called him in its 1949 article about his breakthrough “Christ for Greater Los Angeles” tent revival.
Graham is said to have preached to more souls than anyone in the history of the world. As our profile notes, Graham has “consulted and prayed with every U.S. president from Dwight Eisenhower to George Bush the younger.”
Somehow Graham stayed (mostly) non-partisan in politics, and his 69-year ministry has been free of the scandals and peccadilloes that have bitten so many other ambitious national preachers.
Graham is now back in North Carolina for good. He’s been in poor health the last few years and held his last crusade in 2005. Ruth, his wife of 63 years, died last year.
But he still likes corn dogs from Sonic drive-ins.
Happy birthday, Mr. Graham!