Oral Roberts life's Timeline

Tulsa, Oklahoma: December 22, 2009, (PCTV Newsdesk)

1918: Granville Oral Roberts is born Jan. 24 in Bebee, Okla.

1938: Oral and Evelyn Lutman Fahnestock marry Dec. 25

1939: Rebecca Roberts is born Dec. 16

1943: Ronald Roberts is born Oct. 22

1947: Oral Roberts founds Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (OREA), headquartered in Tulsa, Okla.; he also begins conducting miracle healing crusades across America and around the world

1948: Richard Roberts is born Nov. 12

1950: Roberta Roberts is born Dec. 14

1954: Oral Roberts revolutionizes evangelism by bringing television cameras into his live healing crusades

1958: Oral Roberts establishes the Abundant Life Prayer Group, whose Prayer Partners receive calls for prayer from around the world, seven days a week, 24 hours a day

1963: Oral Roberts founds Oral Roberts University (ORU) in Tulsa; he is honored as “Indian of the Year” by the American Indian Exposition

1965: ORU enrolls its first student

1967: Billy Graham officially dedicates ORU

1970: Oral Roberts builds University Village, a retirement living complex for 450 residents, designed to encourage a new beginning for life in later years

1971: ORU becomes fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission

1973: Oral Roberts is inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame

1974: Oral Roberts is named “Oklahoman of the Year” by the American Broadcasters Association

1975: Oral Roberts receives an honorary doctor of law degree from Centenary College

1977: Roberts’ daughter Rebecca dies in February at age 37 in a plane crash.

1981: Oral Roberts builds the City of Faith Medical and Research Center to merge the healing streams of medicine and prayer

1982: Oral Robert’s eldest son, Ronald, dies

1986: Oral Roberts meets with 27 of the nation’s top charismatic leaders to form International Charismatic Bible Ministries; the organization was later dissolved because the tremendous growth of the Charismatic movement made it no longer necessary

1988: Oral Roberts receives an honorary doctorate of divinity from the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel

1989: City of Faith closes after eight years of operation and impacting the medical world’s concept of patient care and the importance of treating the whole person

1993: Oral Roberts steps down as President of ORU and becomes Chancellor

1996: Oral Roberts establishes Golden Eagle Broadcasting to provide family friendly programming

2005: Oral Roberts’ wife, Evelyn, dies on May 4

2009: The Oklahoma State Senate honors Oral Roberts on May 7

2009: Oral Roberts passes away on December 15, 2009, in Newport Beach, Calif.