uth Bell intended to remain unmarried and go to Tibet as a missionary, until she met tall, gangly, shy Billy Graham at Wheaton College in Illinois. He was the son of a North Carolina dairy farmer; she was the daughter of a missionary couple who served in China and Korea. He kissed her for the first time when he gave her an engagement ring. They were wed two years later, in August 1943, after their graduation.

Billy Graham always credits his wife for making his ministry possible. "I know that only the Lord could have chosen Ruth for me and led us together. She has shared the burden of my ministry," he has said. "We don't have a perfect marriage, but we have a great one."

Known for her quick wit, spunk and sense of adventure, Ruth raised the couple's five children in a log cabin home near Montreat, North Carolina, while her husband spent many weeks each year traveling the world. She has said: "I'd rather have a little of Billy than a lot of any other man."

Their children are:

Virginia Graham Tchividjian, born 1945. "Gigi" and her husband, Stephan, a clinical psychologist, have seven children and make their home in Coral Gables, Florida. A speaker and author of inspirational books, her latest, Mothers Together, was co-written with her mother.

Anne Graham Lotz, born 1948. Her husband, Danny, is a dentist and lifetime board member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. They have three children and live in Raleigh, North Carolina. A gifted Bible expositor, she is the president of AnGeL Ministries (the capital letters are her initials), a teaching and speaking ministry. She is the author of two books, The Vision of His Glory, focusing on Revelation, and God's Story, on Genesis.

Ruth Graham McIntyre, born 1950. Once divorced, "Bunny" and her husband, Richard, a contractor in Fort Defiance, Virginia, have three children. She is a writer, speaker and donor relations coordinator with Samaritan's Purse, the organization headed by her brother Franklin.

William Franklin Graham III, born 1952. Franklin and his wife, Jane, have four children and live in Boone, North Carolina. He is the president of Samaritan's Purse, an international relief and evangelism organization with projects in more than 80 countries worldwide. He also conducts up to 10 evangelistic festivals each year for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).

In 1995, the BGEA board named him first vice chairman, a position with direct succession to become chairman and chief executive officer should his father decide to step down. He is the author of five books, including his autobiography, Rebel With A Cause, and his latest, Living Beyond the Limits.

Nelson Edman Graham, born 1958. "Ned" and his wife, Carol, a nurse, have two children and live in Sumner, Washington. He left pastoral ministry in 1991 to become president of East Gates International, which has printed and distributed some 2 million Bibles to house church Christians throughout the People's Republic of China.

His work has special significance because his namesake, grandfather Nelson Bell, served as a medical missionary to China.