Read a brief biography

Dr. Ferm served in many capacities over the years in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). But we of the staff of the Billy Graham Center knew her best as one of the people most responsible for gathering, preserving, and making available the documents of BGEA history. She supervised the depositing of a vast mountain of material in the BGC Archives, which researchers have already begun to study and use. Many people have benefited and will benefit from her tireless and cheerful service.

Above all, we knew her as an oral historian. For four decades, she, with some help from her husband Bob and others, interviewed more than a thousand people from around the world, in all walks of life, about their involvement in Billy Graham's ministry and evangelistic meetings. (The online guide to Collection 141 contains a complete list and description of all her interviews.) We are making available on our Web site several of those interviews, including some of her earliest ones. We have listed them below in tribute to our colleague and friend, who did so much to start the BGC Archives.

1970 Interview (audio file and transcript) with Pearl Goode about her prayer ministry for the BGEA

1970 Excerpt from interview (audio file and transcript) with Roger Hull about the 1957 New York Crusade

1970 Excerpt from interview (audio file and transcript) with singer and actress Ethel Waters about her association with Billy Graham and the BGEA

1971 Excerpt from interview (audio file and transcript) with Armin Gesswein about his participation in the 1949 Los Angeles meetings

1971 Excerpt from interview (transcript) with Bishop Arthur "Jack" Dain in which he talks about how he gave his life to Jesus Christ

1971 Excerpt from interview (audio file and transcript) with Roy McKeown about his participation in the 1949 Los Angeles meetings

1971 Excerpt from interview (audio file) with Rev. Donald Hoke in which he talks about his friendship with Billy Graham and BGEA evangelistic meetings in Japan

1971 Excerpt (audio file and excerpt) with Harold Straub about his participation in the 1949 Los Angeles meetings

1971 Excerpt (audio file and excerpt) with Ben Weiss about his participation in the 1949 Los Angeles meetings

1971 Excerpt (audio file and excerpt) with Lawrence Young about his participation in the 1949 Los Angeles meetings

1972 Excerpt from interview (audio file and transcript) with Betty Skinner and Mildred Hopkins about their participation in the 1949 Los Angeles meetings

1976 Excerpt from interview (audio file and transcript) with Kenneth Overstreet about his participation in the 1949 Los Angeles meetings

1976 Excerpt from interview (audio file and transcript) with David Sherpersky about his mother's participation in the 1949 Los Angeles meetings

1976 Excerpt from interview (audio file and transcript) with Jim Vaus about his conversion during the 1949 Los Angeles meetings

1976 Excerpt from interview (audio file and transcript) with Louis Zamperini about his conversion during the 1949 Los Angeles meetings

1976 Excerpt from interview (audio file) with Rev. Donald Hoke in which he talks about the 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization, of which he was the executive director

1977 Excerpt from interview (audio file and transcript) with Lionel Mayell about his participation in the 1949 Los Angeles meetings

1979 Excerpt from interview (audio file and transcript) with Ruby Reisdorph about the final meeting of the 1957 New York Crusade in Time Square

1981 Except from interview (audio file and transcript) with Eleanor McCollum about her conversion during the 1957 New York Crusade

1984 Excerpt from interview (audio file and transcript) with BGEA Associate Evangelist Howard O. Jones about how he came to join the Association during the 1957 New York City Crusade

1986 Excerpt from interview (audio file) with J. D. Douglas in which he talks about the 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization and the 1983 International Conference for Itinerant Evangelists, as well as his friendship with Billy Graham

1987 Excerpt from an interview (audio file and transcript) with Shockley Few about the meetings in Yankee Stadium during the 1957 New York Crusade

2000 Excerpt from interview (audio file and transcript) with William and Vonette Bright about their early association with Billy Graham

2000 Excerpt from interview (audio file and transcript) with Christian broadcaster Paul Finkenbinder about the 1949 Los Angeles meetings

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Last Revised: 11/30/09
Expiration: indefinite

© Wheaton College 2009