Douglas Alexander: “recently, I visited with Reverend Jacob Bazzel Mull and his wife, Elizabeth, in Knoxville, TN. They host the Mull…”

“recently, I visited with Reverend Jacob Bazzel Mull and his wife, Elizabeth, in Knoxville, TN. They host the Mull Singing Convention, a popular gospel radio program. Reverend Mull is a legend with an interesting story to tell. He was born in 1914 in Burke County, NC, into a musical family. When he was 11 months old, he lost his eyesight after falling into an open-pit fireplace. As a child, he played in a gospel group made up of his mother, father, brothers and sisters. He began preaching in 1939 and hasn't stopped since. In 1942, he moved to Knoxville to start his first radio program, and the rest is history. He became well-known nationwide during the 25 years he sold Chuck Wagon Gang Records on several 50,000-watt radio stations. This year, all of his many accomplishments were recognized when he was honored by the Gospel Music Association for his 'outstanding contributions to gospel music.' During our visit in April, Reverend Mull gave me 2,000 letters and a number of petitions with thousands of names on them from Americans angry over the Ninth Circuit's decision declaring the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional. Reverend Mull solicited these letters from his listeners across the country, and I was delighted to see the passion people across America have for the Pledge. It made me proud to answer all of those letters. It is inspiring to me that every day Reverend Mull brings out the best in America.…”