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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
RELIGION
Evangelist Billy Graham hospitalized for testing
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The Rev. Billy Graham was admitted to a hospital Wednesday near
his home in western North Carolina to be tested for pneumonia after suffering from congestion, a cough and a slight fever, his spokesman said.
Graham
The 93-year-old evangelist was taken to Mission Hospital in Asheville, spokesman A. Larry Ross said. His personal physician, Dr. Lucian Rice, said he was in stable condition.
A news release issued by the hospital said Graham was alert, smiling and waving to staff as he entered the hospital. Ross said
Graham was admitted for observation and treatment and likely would spend the night there.
Ross said Graham was in good spirits after undergoing a full afternoon of medical tests. His daughter, Gigi, visited him after dinner for prayer and Bible reading. Ross said. As the two watched television in the hospital room, Ross said they found a replay of Graham's 1973 crusade in St. Louis.
For six decades, Graham led a worldwide crusade-based ministry that packed stadiums with believers and allowed him to counsel every U.S. president since Harry Truman. His most recent book, "Nearing Home," was published last month.
In recent years, age-related conditions such as macular degeneration and hearing loss have kept Graham at his home in Montreat, about 20 miles east of
Asheville.
He was last hospitalized in May, when he spent five days at the same hospital for pneumonia. In October 2008, Graham was hospitalized after he tripped and fell over one of his dogs. Earlier that same year, he had elective surgery on a shunt that controls excess fluid on his brain. The shunt was first installed in 2000 and drains fluid through a small tube, relieving excess pressure that can cause symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease.
Graham has also suffered from prostate cancer and was hospitalized in 2007 for nearly two weeks after experiencing intestinal bleeding. His wife, Ruth Bell Graham, died in June 2007.
Graham rarely appears in public now. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is run by Graham's son, Franklin.
OBITUARY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dr. Julian White, director of bands at Florida A&M University, speaks Nov. 22 during a memorial service for Robert Champion, a Florida A&M University drum major who died Nov. 19, in Tallahassee, Fla. It could take up to three months to learn exactly what caused the death of Robert Champion, a Florida A&M University band member who was suspected of being hazed, an official said Nov. 23.
Georgia death connected with marching band hazing
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DECATUR, Ga. — In a poignant call to action, speakers at the funeral for a Florida A&M University drum major urged for an end to the hazing linked to the death of Robert Champion.
Eight former band mates saluted Champion by walking toward his open casket. They raised their batons in unison, then abruptly turned to show their capes embroidered with the letters: C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N. Near the end of the funeral, one of the college junior's favorite songs, "Flight of the Bumblebee," played over the loudspeaker.
Pastor John Tatum told hundreds of friends and family who crowded the church pews that it was time to end the "foolish" hazing in college fraternities and marching bands.
"If there anything about this man's legacy we need to put a stop to, it's hazing," he said to a chorus of amens. "I call upon every parent, every mother, every father ... do what is necessary now to stop this tragedy from ever happening again. Right now."
The 26-year-old Champion was found dead Nov. 19 on a bus parked outside an Orlando, Fla., hotel after the school's football team lost to a rival. Police said Champion, a clarinet player, had been vomiting and complained he couldn't breathe shortly before he collapsed, but they have not released any other details.
Meanwhile, police in Tallahassee, where the school is located, confirmed they were investigating a second case of possible hazing in the marching band involving a
JAMES AMMONS Florida A&M president
freshman clarinet player. The parents of Bria Shante Hunter told Atlanta's WXIA-TV that she suffered a fractured thigh bone and hurt knee.
A police report did not detail how the alleged hazing occurred and Hunter's father told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he could not immediately comment.
Since Champion's death, Julian White, the university's band director, has been fired. The school has announced an independent probe, and the university president said he
White said he saw Champion shortly after he was found unconscious and assured the family that he "looked in peace."
"This is a difficult time for me.
You may see me smile, and you probably won't see me cry," he said.
"I'm happy that I knew Robert."
will work to end the long practice of hazing in the marching band.
James Ammons, the school president, pledged to "stamp out hazing at FAMU"
The group that oversees Florida's public universities announced Tuesday it wanted to investigate whether the school did enough to respond to hazing.
"I vow that Robert's death will not be in vain," he said.
The funeral resonated with the music Champion was so passionate about.
Champion fell in love with music when he was about age 6. He started in bands in middle school and his mother said he was so enthusiastic about performances she called him "Mr. Band."
The family's attorney has said they intend to sue the school over the death.
The Southwest Dekalb High School marching band, where Champion attended, played somber melodies and were joined by an 18-member church choir behind his casket, where he lie wearing his college uniform, clutching a gleaming baton.
At the start of the service, Champion's mother, Pam, squeezed her son's hand a final time. His father, Robert Sr., whispered into his son's ear.
He long dreamed of joining a marching band, and neighbors recalled seeing him patrolling his yard with a makeshift baton made of tape. He rose to become the leader of his high school band by his junior year, and was tapped as the drum major of Florida A&M's prestigious "Marching 100" in late 2010. The band has performed at Super Bowls, the Grammys and presidential inaugurations.
James Seda, who leads the high school band, said Champion was an enthusiastic leader and outgoing musician with an amazing work ethic. He said he was thankful he was in Orlando to see Champion's final show at halftime against Bethune-Cookman.
"His last performance is always his best performance," he said. "He always outdoes himself."
NATIONAL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Former Arapahoe County Sheriff Patrick Sullivan, left, appears in Arapahoe County Court yesterday. Sullivan is suspected of offering methamphetamine in exchange for sex from a male acquaintance. Arapahoe County chief judge William Sylvester set the bond for Sullivan. The judge also ordered Sullivan not to try to contact anyone who may be involved in the case.
Ex-sheriff in jail named for him
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — The ex-Colorado sheriff was known for his no-nonsense style, his heroism in saving two deputies and for his concern about teenage drug use. He was even named the nation's sheriff of the year.
Patrick Sullivan, 68, found himself on Wednesday in a jail that was named for him, facing charges of offering methamphetamine in exchange for sex from a male acquaintance.
Dressed in an orange jail uniform and walking with a cane, a handcuffed Sullivan watched as a judge raised his bail amount to a half-million dollars and sent him to the Patrick J. Sullivan Jr. Detention Facility.
Sullivan's arrest has many in suburban Denver's Arapahoe County where he held sway for nearly two decades wondering what happened to the tough-naills lawman they once knew.
"This isn't the Pat I know," said Peg Ackerman, a lobbyist for the County Sheriffs of Colorado who often worked with him on legislation. She said he was concerned about drug use in schools and was a chief of security at a school district.
Robinson said the case is still under investigation, including where and how Sullivan might have gotten the drugs. He declined to say if authorities suspect Sullivan of using drugs, or if others might be charged.
After investigating further, the
Sullivan came to the attention of law enforcement after an Oct. 4 call to authorities from a home in Centennial, according to an arrest affidavit. The deputy who responded had worked for Sullivan and knew he was.
At the brief court hearing, Judge William Sylvester told Sullivan not to contact anyone involved in the case.
The current sheriff, Grayson Robinson, who worked as undersheriff for Sullivan from 1997 until he took over the job in 2002, said the department was shocked and saddened at his arrest.
deputy learned from two confidential informants that Sullivan was dealing meth but would sell it only if they had sex with him, the document stated. He was arrested after police set up a sting at a home.
Deputies found that Sullivan had handed someone a bag of meth and had another bag on him when he was searched, according to the affidavit. Both bags weighed less than a gram.
Sullivan's attorney, Kevin McGreevy, did not return calls seeking comment.
Sullivan served as sheriff from 1984 until his retirement in 2002.
In 2002, then-U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo praised him on his retirement, citing Sullivan for promoting homeland security and for being named Sheriff of the Year by the National Sheriff's Association.
In 1989, Sullivan was hailed as a hero. During a gunman's rampage, he rescued two deputies after crashing his truck through a fence and protecting them while they were loaded into the vehicle.
While those who know Sullivan were puzzled by the news, some said they weren't surprised that a person of his stature could get involved.
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