Although he’d never being accused of being our greatest Commander-in-Chief, our nation’s 38th President entered the arena at a time when it seemed like the government was falling apart. Appointed the 40th Vice-President by Richard Nixon after the resignation of Spiro Agnew, it was a mere nine months later that he ascended to the Presidency as the only President to never have been elected to a National office. During his abridged single term of office from 1974-77, he became noted for the pardon of President Nixon, the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam, his attack on inflation (W.I.N. – Whip Inflation Now), the occasional embarassing pratfall, but most importantly as a good and decent man who capably filled the vacancy in the White House after the Watergate scandal had rocked the nation and our President resigned his office.
President Ford is the only President to have a separate Presidential Museum from the Presidential Library. Over the course of several road trips, I have visited both – each time with my friend Bob. Ford had passed away between our second and third trips, so consequently we were able to see his grave at the Museum during our most recent trip.
Friday, August 28, 1998 / Wednesday, July 21, 2004 / Saturday, July 26, 2008 – The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum – All Presidential Libraries except for Ford’s contain both the papers and document’s from the President’s life meant to be used as research tools, but the museum ‘portion’ of each Library is the area most generally visited by the general public. In other words, when the typical everyman thinks of a ‘Presidential Library,’ they would think of the museum portion. Therefore, the Ford Presidential Museum is in essence the equivalent of most of the Presidential Libraries, although it doesn’t contain the Ford Administration papers and records.
The Ford Museum located in Grand Rapids, Michigan was the first of the Presidential Libraries that I was able to visit during a road trip that Bob and I took in 1998. I was very impressed from the start with the dynamic displays and amazing relics from Ford’s entire career. Before entering the museum, we saw the interesting short film A Time to Heal, describing the strange circumstances by which Ford came into office.
Our second visit was simply to review the displays six years after our first visit. We watched the film during this visit as well. The most recent visit in 2008 was made not only to enjoy the exhibits once again, but now to visit the final resting place of Gerald Ford.
The revolving display during the ’08 visit was a tribute to Ford’s personal photographer David Hume Kennerly entitled Extraordinary Circumstances, and featured a wide array of both classic and not-so-classic photos from the Ford administration.
Below are a batch of great photos that I took during my 2008 visit (I neglected to take any on previous visits) to my first and certainly one of my favorite Presidential Libraries – often employing flash photography which was against the rules. Bob was nearly grabbed and wrestled to the ground by Secret Service agents.
Getting ready to enter for the third time
The iconic disco dancers indicating the 70’s era
Faithful recreation of the Ford Cabinet Room (except for me being in it)
With a piece of the Berlin Wall
Making the now-traditional speech to a crowd of zero
With the pen that Ford used to sign Nixon’s pardon
With the Profiles in Courage Award that was presented to Ford by the Kennedy family. Don’t you think Teddy looks jealous?
With the Bible on which Ford was sworn into office
Reproduction of Ford’s Oval Office
With the gun used by Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Fromme in the assassination attempt of President Ford
The Gerald Ford Library or bust!
Thursday, August 27, 1997 / Saturday, July 26, 2008 – The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library – Although there isn’t much to see at the official Ford Libarary for the average Joe, Bob and I, completists that we are, stopped there and walked inside for a few minutes prior to visit to the actual museum in 1997. We repeated this again in 2008 as we traveled through Ann Arbor, Michigan on the road from Grand Rapids to Detroit.
This time however, the Library was closed as it always is on weekends. So although we could get photos of the exterior and peer inside through the glass windows, a repeat visit just might be necessary to grab a photo inside. The things I go through!
At the official Ford Library
Hanging around, waiting for them to open
Locked out again
Saturday, July 26, 2008 – The grave of Gerald Ford – Gerald Ford passed away on December 26, 2006. He was interred at the Museum on January 3, 2007, so obviously during our first two visits, Ford was still alive. Visiting the grave was one of the most important reasons for re-visiting the museum. The former First Lady Betty Ford will be interred next to President Ford upon her passing.
Close-up of the Gerald Ford grave
Overview of the interment area
Me and Gerald Ford
Presidential autographs from the Fords – Although I was never able to meet President Ford, I was able to obtain autographs from both President and Mrs. Ford through the mail on several occasions. I had read in an Autograph Collector magazine that by donating a mere $3.00 to their funds (Library or otherwise?), each would personally sign an item. I took advantage of this several times with President Ford and thus have quite a few in my collection. I only obtained one signature of Betty Ford as seen at the bottom below.
Signed portrait from 1996
Five Presidents photo from the opening of the Ronald Reagan Library. Obviously the black signatures are pre-prints with Ford adding a legitimate signature in blue in 1998.
Autographed photo of Betty Ford from 1998
For more autographs of Gerald Ford from my collection, click here.
Continue to the next President…
Return to Saturday in Michigan 2008…
Return to Thursday in Ohio 1998… (under construction)
Return to Wednesday in Ohio 2004… (under construction)
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