Press release from the office of Sen. Phil Berger:
Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) on Wednesday named four members to a newly-formed Statuary Hall Selection Committee that will work to place a statue of the late Rev. Billy Graham in the U.S. Capitol.
The members are:
· Dr. David Bruce, Rev. Graham’s longtime executive assistant at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, president of Graham’s Blue Ridge Broadcasting ministry and chair of the Montreat College Board of Trustees.
· Mr. Clarence Henderson, a retired entrepreneur, civil rights leader and past chair of the N.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission.
· The Hon. Robert Pittenger, U.S. Rep. for North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District who first met Rev. Graham in 1971.
· The Hon. Dan Soucek, a former three-term state senator who sponsored legislation recommending Graham’s statue be placed in the Capitol.“Billy Graham’s faith and ministry inspired not just countless North Carolinians, but millions around the globe, and I can think of no better representative for our state in Statuary Hall,” said Berger. “Each of these members has a deep, personal appreciation of Rev. Graham’s contributions to our state, and I thank them for their willingness to help realize this tribute to one of North Carolina’s favorite sons.”
Lawmakers passed legislation in 2015 authorizing the committee and empowering it to take steps to replace one of North Carolina’s two statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection with a likeness of Rev. Graham, a North Carolina native and beloved evangelist who counseled U.S. Presidents and preached to millions worldwide. The statue will replace the existing replica of early 20th century Gov. Charles Aycock, a known white supremacist.
Because federal rules state that those honored with a statue in the Capitol must be deceased, the committee is being formed following Rev. Graham’s passing in February.
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