PALATKA, Fla. --- Tommy Underwood is a pretty down-to-earth guy.

He's friendly, helpful and generous with his time.

What you wouldn't know, unless you asked him, is that his model for that behavior is the Rev. Billy Graham. Mr. Underwood got to study the Rev. Graham up close, because it was his father, the Rev. Cecil Underwood, who baptized the Rev. Graham in Palatka in 1938.

Mr. Underwood grew up seeing the Rev. Graham in his home -- even after the Florida preacher had become the world's evangelist.

"That's the one thing that impressed me most about him: He was very down to earth," Mr. Underwood said. "Even when I was a little child, he would insist I call him Billy."

The Rev. Graham turned 90 this week, and it's easy to wonder whether he's still influencing lives since ailing health has forced him into relative inactivity the past few years.

The answer from Mr. Underwood and others who know and work with him, study him and attended his revivals say the answer is yes.

Justin Palilla, 17, can't recite facts and figures about the Rev. Graham's career, but the Jacksonville teen knows that his own life took a new and upward turn during the Graham crusade in 2000 in Jacksonville. Since then, his relationship with God has helped him through difficult times in his personal life.

"I know Billy Graham put that (crusade) together and that he helped a lot of people come to Jesus," Justin said.

People are still responding to the Rev. Graham's message. Thousands have posted messages at BillyGraham90.org, a Web site created to celebrate the evangelist's birthday, said Ken Barun, the senior vice president for communications at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

It's wrong to assume the Rev. Graham is bedridden, Mr. Barun said.

Despite failing hearing and eyesight, battles with Parkinson's symptoms and the 2007 death of his wife, Ruth, the Rev. Graham regularly attends association board meetings and is writing a book, Mr. Barun said.

"Physically, he's not faring well," he said, "but mentally he's very alert.