Historian and author Richard Norton smith is working on a new biography of gerald ford. We caught up with him at his homing in grand rapids home in grand rapids, michigan. A Baptist Missionary put down roots, and a year or two later on the east side a friend be frenchspeaking intend tour showed up who was eager to sell liquor to the indians to save their sols, and it their souls, and it set the pattern ps in some ways for the two faces of grand rapids, west side and east side. Both sides of the river banks more for most of the 19th and 20th century were covered over with factories, furniture factories, back when grand rapids was the furniture capital of the United States. Theyre gone now, but the city that has replaced them in many ways was seated by that building, the ford museum was seeded by that building, the ford museum, which was opened in 1981, located downtown at president fords insistence in the hope that it might, in fact, spark the beginnings of an urban renewal, a genuine u
Jessica Smurr passed away. This is the full obituary where you can share condolences and memories. Published in the Commonwealth Journal on 2023-12-05.