Around the country, the death of the Reverend Jerry Falwell has received considerable attention, especially among those who monitor the religious right. Less attention has been given to locals who are connected to Falwell, although the Grand Rapids Press did mention two local connections:

Harvey Gainey, owner of Gainey Transportation Services, has been a longtime trustee at Falwell's Liberty University. In a Press article from May 16, Gainey described Falwell as "a great voice for America" and said of Falwell's Moral Majority that it "at least got people to thinking that maybe we ought to think about the direction we're heading."

The Reverend Ed Dobson, who preaches at Grand Rapids Calvary Church, was Falwell's "right-hand man" in the Moral Majority before coming to Grand Rapids in 1987. Dobson also served as Vice President of Student Affairs at Falwell's Liberty University and as Associate Pastor at Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church. While Dobson eventually criticized some the Moral Majority's singular focus on politics, Dobson praised the Moral Majority in the Grand Rapids Press stating that "It encouraged millions of people to get involved, to vote and try to influence the process, and that's always good."

By and large, there has not been significant local support in recent years for Falwell's activities, a fact that reflects his declining influence on the religious right at the time of his death. Prominent West Michigan families such as the DeVos and Prince families who have used their fortunes to fund the political activities of the religious right, at the national level, have not funded Falwell's organizations in recent years according to our Far Right in West Michigan database.