and Clinton, and their first ladies—looked to see how Billy would
address Nixon’s considerable, if severely tarnished, legacy.
In his eulogy, Billy carefully acknowledged the complexity of
Nixon’s character. He also pointed out his stature, saying, “I think
most of us have been staggered at the many things he accom-
plished during his life. His public service kept him at the center of
the events that have shaped our destiny. This week, Timemaga-
zine says that ‘by sheer endurance he rebuilt his standing as the
most important figure of the post-war era.’”
Then Billy spoke of the Nixon he had known. “There was
another more personal, more intimate and more human side to
Richard Nixon—that his family, neighbors, and friends that are
gathered here today would know. It was a side many did not see,
for Richard Nixon was a private and perhaps even a shy individ-
ual whom others sometimes found hard to get to know. There
were hundreds of little things that he did for ordinary people that
no one would ever know about. He always had a compassion for
people who were hurting.”
Billy’s love for the man who betrayed his trust remained
strong. As with many other traumas he had experienced in lead-
ing, he did not let natural reactions of self-pity or anger control his
responses. Billy, in living through the nightmare had, because of
the depth of his faith and commitments, once again been extruded
from the furnace as a stronger leader, tempered by the fires.■ ■ ■Such tempering has come not only from the deep suffering of the
Nixon experience but from the weight of leadership and personal
tragedies he’s been close to. “When I talk about suffering,” he said
in his book Hope for the Troubled Heart, “I’m no different from you.
I would like to live a life free of problems, free of pain, and free of
severe personal discipline. However, I’d had extreme pressures in
my life to the point where I’ve wanted to run away from reality.”
Note the words “severe” and “extreme.” At the Graham
retreat center, called the Cove, is a cemetery with designated plots
The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham