Charles E. Fuller

1887-1968. American Baptist radio evangelist. He graduated from Pomona College in 1910 and engaged in orange-growing. Following his conversion under Paul Rader, Fuller for three years studied at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles where he came under R.A. Torrey's* influence. He was ordained at Calvary Church, Placentia, California, in 1925, where he was pastor until 1932. Two of his early radio programs were “The Pilgrim Hour” and “Heart to Heart Talks.” His “Old Fashioned Revival Hour” was aired nationwide over the Mutual Broadcasting System beginning in 1937 and later switched to CBS. The program reached its coast-to-coast peak in the 1940s with live broadcasts over 625 stations from the Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach where Fuller spoke to several thousands every Sunday. His wife pioneered the technique of reading excerpts from listeners' letters on the air. He was a co-founder of Fuller Theological Seminary in 1947. His “folksy” style produced great numbers of converts.