Incredible Friendship: Happy Birthday Billy Graham

The faculty, staff, and students of LeTourneau University send our most sincere and heartfelt birthday wishes to Billy Graham. 

A special friend of Billy Graham, R.G. LeTourneau
designed a portable dome building intended for the
Graham crusades.

During the mid-twentieth century, LeTourneau University's founder, R.G. LeTourneau, had a special friendship with Rev. Graham that began with a simple request for some financial support for the Graham's ministry efforts. According to Rev. Graham's autobiography, "R.G. LeTourneau was the only wealthy man I knew in America who might give us consideration. I told him our predicament...two weeks later, a letter came from him with a cashier's check." 

The friendship between R.G. LeTourneau and Billy Graham lasted for years. R.G. LeTourneau even invented a new portable, collapsable building design for Billy to use during his crusades. Billy's son, Franklin, attended LeTourneau College for several years during the 1970s. 

The driving heart and passion of our university's founder was to see the lost come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ while he used his world-changing ingenuity to engineer solutions to problems. That heart remains in the body and actions of LeTourneau University to this day. As with our founder, our students, alumni,  and employees have all been touched in some way by the ministry of Billy Graham. It is with humility and sincerity that we send our birthday wishes. It is our great honor that our founder helped to change the world by investing in you, Rev. Graham. Thank you for your life of service and inspiration that you were not only to our founder, but to our entire university family. 

Join us in celebrating the legendary Billy Graham by viewing the My Hope America broadcast this Thursday, November 7, at 10 PM ET/9 PM CT on Fox News Channel. To learn more about Graham's exciting, ongoing ministry efforts, click here. 

"Mom" and "Pop" R.G. LeTourneau with Billy Graham, December 1968