[givemethemic]

Great pictures...thanks for sharing them...I was right behind the three black men, they were very much emotional which made it much harder for me to hold it in....that was the first and probably the last viewing I will ever go to...I wanted to pay my respects, but now everytime I see Jerry on tv or people are talking about him i think of him there...not exactly how I want to remember him....i hope that memory fades fast

The first black person on the left is the Reverend James Coleman...Also the Press Conference that was scheduled for Wednesday with Jonathan and Jerry. Jr was just cancelled....

[givemethemic]

the service today was very moving! jonathan really charged the crowd. the video tribute was excellent and the congregation lining the streets to see the horse drawn hearse, really brought it all home to me. GMTM and i then went to the viewing and reflected on his influence on our lives. it was a long day, but one of reflection, sadness and joy!

Great service this morning, Jonathan showed us that he is ready to take us to the next level...This afternoon was very tough, I was glad to have smoothie with me today..but like he said there was sadness but joy was definitely felt..

[TDDance234]

I ran in to HMO at Sam's yesturday and he was very confident that both Jonathan and Jerry Jr. will do excellent jobs in their respective positions. I can only agree, esp. after watching the TRBC service on Sunday.

[kel varson]

Thanks everyone for posting pictures. Maybe someone could put a thread together later of just photos of the past week-- After the funeral of course. Not being able to be there myself, the photos mean a lot. Thanks everyone for posting.

[Hold My Own]

Yeah the more the better. It's funny how many people are like. "Oh, that's Jerry Jr?" Personally thats why I respect him so much, simply b/c he never wanted to be in the spot light, if you want to find him look for him in the balcony every Sunday wayyyy in the back. How do you not respect that? and it's nice to see him get his due now and become our face.

[JDUB]

yeah, i had no idea who he was up until now. my parents knew b/c they went to LU at the same time as him

[givemethemic]

Yeah the more the better. It's funny how many people are like. "Oh, that's Jerry Jr?" Personally thats why I respect him so much, simply b/c he never wanted to be in the spot light, if you want to find him look for him in the balcony every Sunday wayyyy in the back. How do you not respect that? and it's nice to see him get his due now and become our face.

I had that same conversation at lunch today....For years he has always sat in back of the balcony and he always wanted it that way...I say this from personal experience and HMO can back me up on this.....This man is truly ready for this, he is there for you if you have a need or a problem and will always make time for you...

[El Scorcho]

I'll join in and say that I can't say enough good things about Jerry Jr. I don't speak a lot about how I know him, and I'm not going to start now, but I think he's one of the most down to earth people I've ever met. At the same time, he's very intelligent but keeps himself humble. There have been a lot of days I've been thankful for that man in the last few years. I heard someone say he was his father's best kept secret. That's exactly how I'd phrase it. Not many people know him when they see him, but they've most likely already been influenced by his work.

[Hold My Own]

No disrespect when this is said but JF constructed and lit the fuse....it will now explode in Jerry Jr's hands b/c of his ability, intelligence and upbringing....and I believe this is the way his father would have wanted it.

[Fumblerooskies]

He looks so unassuming...certainly not the stage presence of Jonathan...and from what I hear...underestimating Jerry, Jr because of that is a big mistake. Certainly he had to be the man behind the scenes in all the negotiations with the city and the expansion.

[jcmanson]

I really look forward to getting to know both Jerry Jr, and Jonathan. Everybody's eyes have always been on Jerry, but now we can get to know (for those of us that don't) them, and grow with them. I'm really looking forward to that.

[Tracey]

Thanks to all who posted pictures. I was not able to be in Lynchburg and only caught snatches of the service yesterday from what they showed on CNN. Everything was done so classy and with so much honor.

I was in VA Beach this weekend, and was wearing an LU hat, and the first people I met there were LU grads. It was really funny and we shared stories. Our experiences at LU were really different as we were there almost 10 years apart.

I love the idea of the Spirit Rock not being painted. I was there when it was put in, and it was done by crane, so I know they can move it though I am not sure about getting it out of the cement without ruining the paint.

Though the transition will be rough and very sad, I am excited to see how the campus and church change and thrive. I am along for the ride and pray that God continues to bless the ministry in Lynchburg.

For the tribute picture at Taco Bell, I thank you. That is where I first met Dr. Falwell and that picture made me cry. I am sure that Lynchburg will never be the same. In thinking of all the places where I bumped into Dr. Falwell, I realized why I no longer am the skinny thing that got to LU in 1989. I ran into him at Taco Bell, McDonald's, Shaker's, Krispy Kreme, Chic-fil-A, Old Country Buffet, etc.

[El Scorcho]

I was there when it was put in, and it was done by crane, so I know they can move it though I am not sure about getting it out of the cement without ruining the paint.

I think sometime after the initial installation it was set into the concrete again, this time with steel rebar holding it in place. I'm pretty sure that was the result of some kids trying to roll it away.

[Libertine]

Something occurred to me yesterday after the funeral. I was standing on the football field watching some of the video of Jerry over the years and I realized that, in a very real sense, we've just witnessed the end of an era here at this university. The time when Liberty needed Jerry to be Jerry just for the school to survive is over. We're in a place now where guys like Junior and Jonathon -- neither of whom are Jerry Senior and don't have to be -- can take this thing and run with it and watch it flourish.

However, Liberty students, to this point, have also had a legitimately personal connection to the school's mentor and founder and his vision and personality that future students will never have the opportunity to have. For that, I'm glad and proud to have attended LU when I did and you students who are in school right now... well, you're the last students that Jerry tried to run down with his car. You're the last ones he threatened to throw in the fountain. You're the last connection to this institution's Institution. Treasure that.

[Rocketfan]

I was there when it was put in, and it was done by crane, so I know they can move it though I am not sure about getting it out of the cement without ruining the paint.

I think sometime after the initial installation it was set into the concrete again, this time with steel rebar holding it in place. I'm pretty sure that was the result of some kids trying to roll it away.

They dug it up and rolled it down the hill....your correct.

[thepostman]

you students who are in school right now... well, you're the last students that Jerry tried to run down with his car. You're the last ones he threatened to throw in the fountain. You're the last connection to this institution's Institution. Treasure that.

I will forever treasure it

[Tracey]

Someone brought to my attention that in 4 years time, there will be a whole new group of students there that never had the opportunity to shake Dr. Falwell's hand. I too am so glad that I attended LU when I did.

Thanks for the information about the spirit rock. I had no clue that it had been put in cement until it was mentioned here. Figures that some students tried to roll it away...When it was brought in, I thought it was so juvenile. At least here where I live, rocks like that are found in front of High Schools! How many girls got marriage proposals from that stinkin' rock? Anyone know if it has been changed since Dr. Falwell's death? Probably not, since the students are pretty much gone for the summer.

Oh well, that rock became part of the LU experience, though I still can't get past it being a High School tradition around here in No. VA. I wonder how many inches bigger it has gotten due to coats of paint??

[Jasmen8182]

The pics. around town was a good idea-we got some while in Forest also....

[bbrothers224]

Right after Jerry passed away I emailed to close friends of mine with Liberty / TRBC connections. This is from Herb Owen, my youth group leader from when I was 11 until I was 17. Herb was also youth pastor at TRBC. Below is his reply to my email. For those who remember Herb and would like to catch up, go to
http://www.straightstreet.net/


On the day Jerry died the local paper called me for an interview.
Here’s what they printed.

-Herb

Working alongside Falwell `exciting'
Local man recalls years spent on preacher's staff

By Carol Biliczky
Beacon Journal staff writer

Herb Owen's memories of the Rev. Jerry Falwell come from 15 years on his staff at the Thomas Road Baptist Church.

Owen was the children's ministries pastor at the Lynchburg, Va., church, the same role he plays now at The Chapel in Akron.

He was there during the ascent of Falwell's Moral Majority, when Falwell was ramping up Liberty University, when Ronald Reagan and Ted Kennedy came to the college campus.
But Owen also saw Falwell as a great prankster who once set off a stink bomb at the Lynchburg Christian Academy.

And it was Falwell who married Owen and his wife, Marilyn, in December 1978. That was a big affair, with the Thomas Road children's choir singing, 800 to 1,000 guests and Falwell's son Jonathan serving as a groomsman.

Those years between 1977 to 1992 were exciting, Owen said, with Falwell bowling over obstacles that might have slowed others. If a church camp needed air conditioning, it got it -- the next week. If a new building needed to be built, it went up -- within six months or so.

``He was a very important figure in the mobilization of conservative Christians into politics,'' said John Green, director of the Ray Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.

Falwell's death is a visible reminder that his generation of Christian leaders is passing from the scene and new leaders are emerging, Green said. They have broader agendas, are open to alliances with people with whom they might otherwise disagree and are more diverse, he said.

As for Owen, the years as one of more than two dozen staffers at Falwell's church were ``exciting, creative. You could do things. I learned so much because there was lots of opportunity.''
He said his mother-in-law, Esther Morrison, lives in Lynchburg and faithfully attends Falwell's church. When she learned of his death, she cried, he said.

Carol Biliczky can be reached at 330-996-3729 or cbiliczky@thebeaconjournal.com.

[Sly Fox]

I shuddered when I saw the Beacon Journal listed as the fishwrap. That was the birdcage carpet that i had to read when I was visiting my parents back in the day.

Back on topic, I think you would be hardpressed to find anyone who spent much time at all around TRBC/LCA/LU that wouldn't have strong feelings on the impact of Dr. Falwell. Thanks for sharing.

[Cider Jim]

'Just got the National Liberty Journal in the mail today. It has a 12-page tribute to Dr. Falwell, with lots of pics, and 2 good articles by both Jonathan & Jerry, Jr.

On a related note, I also got an alumni email from Danny Lovett, and it had a link to a pic of Lee Robersson and Jerry getting his honorary doctorate from Tenn. Temple along with Jack Van Impe and Hugh Pyle.

[El Scorcho]

Just listen.

[Sly Fox]

Thanks for the link, Scorcho.

[BrysOn_G]

Just listen.

scorcho.... i have been looking all over for that. everytime i get in the car i hear it... which is awesome. i've been wanting folks back home, and friends that are home for the summer to hear it.

thanks. you're the man.

[jcmanson]

I don't have access to audio at work. What is it?