BILLY GRAHAM AVENUE dedication plans were made by a committee Friday. Members hold a replica of a street sign, which will be presented to Virginia “Gigi” Graham. From left are Edward Robinson of the Cleveland Ministerial Association; Beecher Hunter of Life Care Centers of America; Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland; Dr. Paul Conn, president of Lee University; Melissa Woody of the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce and city historian Bill George. Banner photo, JOYANNA WEBER
The ceremony will begin at noon with a luncheon hosted by Lee University for a select 100 members of the community.
After lunch the guests, and members of the community who wish to attend, will walk out onto the street for a ribbon cutting.
The ceremony will likely take place at the corner of Billy Graham Avenue and Ocoee Street near Medlin Hall. City officials will have the street closed from Church Street to Ocoee Street for the event.
The famed evangelist’s daughter, Virginia “Gigi” Graham, will be representing the family at the event.
Feb. 24 will also be Billy Graham Day as declared through a joint resolution by Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis and Cleveland City Mayor Tom Rowland.
“He’s not had a lot of proclamations in his lifetime,” Rowland said. “I’m excited that it’s being done especially when it dead-ends to Medlin Hall.”
Lee University President Paul Conn said Graham was not focused on denominations, but included numerous denominations in his rallies throughout his career.
“Billy Graham pioneered the inclusive approach and did better than anyone for half a century,” Conn said.
Graham spent six months attending Bob Jones University when it was located on Ocoee Street. During that time, he lived in what is now Medlin Hall.
State Rep. Kevin Brooks, who also lived in Medlin Hall during his time at Lee, has been able to conclude he lived on the same floor Graham had when he was a resident of the building.
Rowland said he would like one of the choirs from Lee University sing to “Just As I Am,” after the ribbon cutting.
On Friday afternoon, Jerome Hammond, assistant vice president for community relations, confirmed to the mayor that Voices of Lee would be available that day.
Brooks said Billy Graham had met with every president from Harry Truman to Barack Obama.
While attending Bob Jones, the young Graham attended First Presbyterian Church.
A meeting of the planning committee was held Friday and additional details were worked out.
Rowland suggested the committee ask pastor Mike Cutshaw of Charleston United Methodist Church to do the invocation. The Cleveland/ Bradley Chamber of Commerce will be providing Gigi Graham with a welcome basket.
Melissa Woody, vice president for the Convention and Visitors Bureau of the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber will also provide the ribbon and scissors for the ceremony.
Life Care Centers of America will be printing programs for the event, according to its president, Beecher Hunter.
The section of road, which runs along the Lee University campus near the Science and Math Complex, was renamed in honor of the famous evangelist in 2008.
