In Roseville, Dedicating New Building To Rev. Billy Graham

Nearly 93-years-old, the Rev. Billy Graham just doesn’t get around as well, anymore.

Still, the internationally-renown evangelist was present in spirit Friday evening when Northwestern College dedicated its new Billy Graham Community Life Commons with 36-year-old grandson William “Will” F. Graham IV on hand to participate in the ceremonies.

“My grandfather wishes he could be here,” Will Graham, an associate evangelist with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, told a gathering of hundreds of people for the dedication of the 70,000 square-foot building. “His mind is still sharp but the body is giving out.”

Northwestern College had a particular interest in getting a member of the Graham family to come to the dedication beyond simply naming the new $19.5 million building for Billy Graham. The Rev. Billy Graham was Northwestern's second president, serving from 1948 to 1952.

The two-story building includes the campus dining center, student lounges and study areas, office and meeting space for student organizations, campus store and prayer chapel.

During the dedication program, Will Graham read a letter from his grandfather to Northwestern College, thanking the school for naming its new Community Commons in his honor. The elder Graham said that he hopes the building will foster Bible studies and help spread the Christian faith.

Still, Will Graham noted his grandfather  “cringes when someone puts his name out on a building or an organization.’’ In reflecting on the success of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, “in my granddaddy’s eyes, it is a team that made this possible,” the younger Graham said.

In a brief interview with Roseville Patch before the building dedication program, Will Graham said his grandfather was gratified for the four years he spent at Northwestern College in the late 1940s and early 1950s. “He  (Billy Graham) is excited about where it (Northwestern College) is today and where it is going,” said Will Graham, also assistant director of the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, N.C.

In a statement, Northwestern President Alan Cureton said, “More than six years ago when we began planning for the addition of the Graham Commons, our intention was to build a facility that would be transformational, and we did. The building’s design, coupled with the redesign of the campus green, captures the beauty of our location while providing space for physical, spiritual, and personal renewal.”

Founded in 1902, Northwestern College is a private Christian liberal arts college that has more than 3,000 students enrolled from 31 states and 28 countries, according to college officials.