Journalist George Burnham's Impact On Chattanooga

As we approach the Easter season my mind goes back to the 1953 Dr. Billy Graham Crusade at the Warner Park Field House. 69 years ago the Graham team was in the Chattanooga planning for the month long event. I was only six years old but remember family and friends talking about the massive revival taking place at Warner Park.

 

Mose and Garrison Siskin financed most of the construction donating bricks and steel for the structure which held thousands.

Veteran broadcaster Luther Masingill talked about giving Mr. Graham a ride in his model T from the field house to the Hotel Patten where the Graham team was staying. Luther was also proud his mother sang in the large choir.  The crusade took place March 15– April 14. 

 

The late Bob Briscoe was WDEF Radio Chief Engineer.  Mr. Briscoe said he got a call at the last minute that the radio engineer for the Graham team was sick and they needed someone to send the services back to network radio in New York. Mr. Briscoe took the job and said it was one the most memorable events of his life.  He remembered engineering Mr. Graham’s Easter message (Hour of Decision) from the radio room at the field house. Mr. Briscoe got to talk with the evangelist almost every day.  Briscoe said “he was business but every friendly.”  At the end of the crusade, Dr. Graham thanked him for filling in for his regular engineer. 

 

Dr. Graham ended segregated audiences by walking all over the field house and taking down ropes that separated whites and blacks. 

 

When Dr. Graham died in February, 2018, I was searching for a Chattanooga connection. The most interesting was the evangelist’s friendship with the late George Burnham. The reporter worked for the Associated Press for three years before joining the Chattanooga News Free Press. 

 

Mr. Burnham first covered Dr. Graham when he held a Sunday afternoon rally at Engel Stadium in 1950. The 31-year-old evangelist was here at the invitation of First Presbyterian Church pastor Dr. James. L. Fowle and Highland Park Baptist Pastor Dr. Lee Roberson. Dr. Graham was on his way to Atlanta for a series of meetings.

 

As religion reporter for the paper, Mr. Burnham was assigned to cover the 1953 Chattanooga crusade at the field house. Editor Lee Anderson said Mr. Burnham’s stories attracted the eyes of the editors at the Associated Press and United Press International. Mr. Anderson said Dr. Graham walked to the newspaper office on 10th Street from his room at the Hotel Patten and requested Mr. Burnham’s articles go beyond the local paper.  Publisher Roy McDonald had no problem with the wire services printing them.  They were carried by hundreds of papers large and small across the United States.  

 

Thanks to Facebook, his daughter Lynn Burnham Hadvizjak and I became very good friends.  She allowed me to review her dad’s materials about his relationship to Dr. Graham. I was able to transfer many of the articles and pictures to my computer.

 

The Hogansville, Ga. native was absolutely one of the most interesting persons I’ve ever read about. There’s no doubt if he were alive today he’d been reporting from Eastern Europe, perhaps in the Ukraine.

 

After his coverage of the Chattanooga Graham crusade, with the blessings of publisher McDonald, Mr. Burnham decided to travel with Dr. Graham sending stories back to the Free Press. He covered most of Dr. Graham’s foreign crusades including Berlin, Germany.

 

His May, 1954 article caught my eye. It was headlined, “Graham tells of Threat Sent him by Russians; Evangelist says warned to stay out of Berlin or suffer Consequences.” Dr. Graham went on to preach to 80,000 in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.  The headline on another article a month later read, “Graham in Berlin Ride, Red Security Guard stopped car, but didn’t recognize evangelist.”  Burnham wrote, after an hour or so into the ride Mr. Graham told the driver, “Let’s get out of here as soon as possible.”

 

Mr. Burnham covered the 1957 historic New York crusade and wrote a book entitled, “Billy Graham and the New York Crusade.” Attendance was estimated at 2.4 million during the 16 weeks.  In the book, Mr. Burnham said he observed a little girl, who told her mother “they aren’t treating George Beverly Shea right; they won’t let him sing in the choir.”  The Burnham family provided one of their father’s articles “The People heard him gladly.” It was first printed in the Free Press then made available to the wire services. 

 

During his 20 years as a reporter, Mr. Burnham interviewed many celebrities including President and Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt, Jimmy Stewart and Spencer Tracy. Mr. Burnham was traveling back to the United States on the Queen Mary with the Graham team. Mr. Burnham opened his cabin door and at the same time Jimmy Stewart opened his cabin door across the hall. That led to an afternoon tea with Dr. Graham and a few celebrities. 

 

Editor Lee Anderson wrote a letter to various news outlet offering them Mr. Burnham’s articles free of charge. Mr. Burnham authored five books centering on the ministry of Dr. Graham.   

 

The late Hamilton County Commissioner Curtis Adams, also an employee of the Chattanooga News Free Press, said no one knew more about Billy Graham in the 1950’s more than George Burnham. Mr. Adams said Mr. Burnham traveled with and covered Graham more than any other reporter.   

 

The four-year Navy Veteran is credited with starting the Easter Sunrise Service at the VA National Cemetery in Chattanooga.  The annual service continues today sponsored by the Salvation Army. Mr. Burnham and his family were members of the East Ridge Presbyterian Church. 

 

Mr. Burnham died unexpectedly in 1962.  His family received telegrams from Dr. Graham, Mr. Shea, Cliff Barrows and members of the Graham team. 

 

At the conclusion of the 1953 Chattanooga revival, Dr. Graham presented Mr. Burnham with an engraved Bible and wrote on the fly leaf: “To George Burnham, who did the greatest job of reporting we have ever had.”