RALEIGH -- Three members of the Statuary Hall Section Committee who will oversee the placement of a sculpture of Rev. Billy Graham in the U.S. Capitol have been appointed by North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland).

Mrs. Macon T. Newby of Raleigh, Mr. Thomas M. Hodges, IV of Charlotte, and Mrs. Jane A. “Cissie” Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of Rev. Billy Graham, were appointed by Speaker Moore to the committee in September.

The North Carolina General Assembly directed in 2015 that a statue of Rev. Graham replace that of former Gov. Charles Brantley Aycock in the National Statuary Hall, where each state is represented by two statutes of prominent individuals in the U.S. Capitol.  Currently, Aycock and former Gov. Zebulon Vance represent North Carolina.

The Statuary Hall Selection Committee will obtain the funding necessary to complete the project as well as select a sculptor, review and approve the artists’ plans, and oversee the design of the statue’s pedestal.

Members of the committee are also tasked with the removal and transportation of the replaced statue and the temporary placement of the new statue in the Rotunda of the Capitol for the unveiling ceremony.

“The spiritual guidance of Rev. Billy Graham lives on in the hearts of North Carolinians after his passing,” Moore said.

“Placing a monument of Rev. Graham in the U.S. Capitol will serve as a a solemn memorial to his incredible impact on the faith of millions in our state and around the world.”

The Statuary Hall Selection Committee is expected to meet and begin its work this Fall.