Professor teaching American History and ancient history. Donna welcome are you with us . I am thank you for having me. Excellent how are you doing . More importantly how is the staff . Are you guys reopen theres a lot of energy to get all of these museums reopen how are things there . We hope to share some the energy and soon. Library is in phase one. Some are returning and doing more on site. The museum continues at zero. The numbers are training our way. We hope in short order to be in a position we can reopen the doors to the public. We are excited because just this last weekend we were open in washington d. C. The headquarters were the rotunda on saturday and sunday were testing all the systems here in washington and were eager as you say open the doors all laughing at the crowds back in. Because of our situation thats why we are doing the centennial we will learn and alisa virtually experience the president ial museum. We have great programs for us today. Im going to turn the screen over to you and lets run through it. Then we will come out for some q a at the end. Okay take you. I think we can go right to the first slide. Im going to talk a little bit about the library museum. You are going to get more gerald ford than a brickandmortar in this presentation. A little bit about the library and museum in any case. You might have it museum and eight library is separated in different buildings. They share the same campus. We are separated by estate. Our library is unique on the north campus of the university of gerald fords alma mater. Its 130 miles to the west in grand rapids. Gerald fords hometown in the heart of his district which he represents and congress for 25 years. So we are unique by having a facility separated in this way. We can get into that during the q a as to why that is. In those small parts because of the unity of the team to the presidency. One of the things we find because of that unique entry with gerald ford is we have to introduce gerald ford to our people. How other president s who ran things for the office. If you look at the next slide, thank you, im going to take you to the oval office on march 10 covid 1975. Recalling something David Mccullough said with john adams by that point have brought to lesser president s with john adams to the attention of the american most successful book was being interviewed among the 20th century residents. The president really needs to be known better. So here we are march 10 rainy monday a spring and washington talking to his chief of staff don rumsfeld were in the background as a fellow by the name of john percy. John is a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, journalist shes working for the New York Times magazine and they asked ford for permission to follow him for a week during his presidency. President ford agreed to that the object was to write a lengthy story about gerald ford because they said americans are more about the president. The polling that was being done inside fords own sense confirmed just what the magazine was asserting. They needed to be better known by the american people. He was well known in the beltway on capitol hill and his district would we go to the next slide where he had run for office in 1948. I notice the image on the left of ford leaning in their work dungarees, he talking to them one of the things that came to be known very well about gerald ford. Much of which they already knew he was well known in grand rapids. I was in his district as a hard worker, a straight shooter, no pretense about him. He was someone who kept his word. For a few years the attorneys talking to the farmers not pretending to be a farmer himself but listening to him that they send him to congress he would carry their concerns to capitol hill. These farmers on the Fifth District turned out any primaries representative of the Fifth District replaced him with gerald ford and that in november of 1975 he won the general election. In 1948 he won the general election and was off the congress. Those on capitol hill learn the same things about gerald ford. He was a hard worker, he kept his word, he was a good listener he had a sharp mind. And that leadership on capitol hill and congress and among the congress rewarded him with important positions early in his career. 1950 when the appropriations committee. By 1953 into a majority. He has given charge into the image on the right military personnel, the dnc in south korea. Its during these early days of the cold war with bases in the pacific and europe he is traveling, attending to the armys needs, reporting back to capitol hill and help track their budget. 1956 he was given oversight. In a 1957 his place on the select committee helped draft the legislation. In 1963 Lyndon Johnson reaches out to him as one of two members of the house of representatives. But that the commissioners on the committee thats investigating the assassination of president john kennedy, the Warren Commission. We go to the next slide to use his own phrase he was going to be a workhorse, not a show horse. Not someone whos going to make his name by things giving speeches on the floor but someone is going to make his name by work on committees and learning the mechanics of congress. He was known for his constituents, thats what we see on the left. Hes sitting at his desk reading constituent mail. He had a Standing Order that all constituent phone calls and letters would be answered within 24 hours. His constituents in his district appreciated that. In 13 elections they return him to congress each time with not less than 61 of the vote. We call it at the library the ford its an aggressive calendar you might see where he jotted down, not every day but often we would get a sense of his work. For him it was not a monday friday job. He was often in the office on saturdays and sundays. They would play in statutory hall with other congressional leaders. And sometimes to be standing at his typewriter typing letters to their mother. With how much they appreciated her. He earned the reputation to the extent we know something of gerald ford he is mr. Bipartisan. And he was, he worked to weld people on both sides of the aisle. But he wasnt partisan pretty had a partisan side as well. He sat leadership. His ambition was to be speaker of the house. He begins moving into leadership in 1966 but the republican leader with what we came home as the ebb and gerry show. Before the Television Cameras they would help promote the republican agenda on capitol hill and take shots that president johnson also. He moves into the leadership by 1964 with the sites on the speakership. In the delegation rewarding him at every turn. If you go to the next slide, this is alexandria, home, this is family. The kids are born, mike the oldest in 1952 the youngest 1957. And theres jackson and steve in between. The hard work that he did on capitol hill often known as having the all american family. He does what we all know all American Families have problems, challenges. Mrs. Ford was raising four kids in the middle of the 1960s a turbulent 1960s. And yet her husband is gone so much. And earns the minority leaders in 1960 he could be gone over 200 days of the year promoting the republican agenda and campaigning for the message of congress. When she began to speak in the larger platform as the second lady to talk to newspaper reporter she was open about the psychiatric help there are challenges we go to the next slide board still seeking the speakership. By 1964 covid 19662 years into his minority leadership to make Great Strides in recovering those numbers. The party secures the presidency in a razor thin election. Richard nixon is elected to the presidency campaigning alongside nixon. In his home district. And once it nixon begins his administration gerald ford the minority leader is working with a mixed agenda on capitol hill to help them shape that as well. I 1972 nixon was a historic landslide election. But that needle barely moved. And then, ford realizes his dream of becoming speaker probably is not going to happen. In 1974 he would stand for election once again. But the Nixon Administration second term. Then they returned to grand rapids. History intervenes. Ford havent mentioned watergate during this time but watergate begins in 1972. Not for reasons related, but other reasons. President need to exercise a provision of the 25th amendment which was ratified in 1967 the lousy president to nominate a person to fill the vacancy of the vice presidency as a tribute but bipartisanship. While congress has a chance occurrence of voting in late december of 1972 this only 35 members of the house the vote against as much is your get on capitol hill. By December Ford is moved from the house of representatives to becoming president of the senate and Vice President of the united states. He holds a position for eight months. Then nixon in august of 1974 sulfur signs and ford becomes president of the united states. Like the french magazine that promotes a new America Betty ross fashioned, not making the American Flag but mending the American Flag. Above him are two images mrs. More about their new president against the world who wants to know something about this new president but they find out is he is not in michigan, he was not born, he was aboard leslie lynch junior on july 14, on the right side there is a child with his mother in the bed of which she was born. The house in which she was born the others fatherinlaws house. I have their one and only child leslie king proves himself to be a liar. Somewhat abusive. To its the child is born dorothy king secrets the child out of the house, off to chicago and over too grand rapids where her parents are developing real estate. She sues for divorce in 1913, the divorce is granted. Go to the next slide to three years letter shes met a paint salesman at a church picnic. A fellow by the name of ford. We see him on the left side. Deutsche junior junior in front of him. Rolling evolution they have none during this period as junior teams. The tended to middle school his snoring as gerald ford for about time he graduates from high school in 1931 and goes into university as michigan is known as gerald ford juniper in 1935 could step by the petition the court to have his name changed visually to Gerald Rudolph ford junior. Never an adoption. Official name change at the end. His mother and his father, stepfather are pretty active in grand rapids. His mother moves from being a paint salesman is on paint and varnish company. Mother and father teach their children the moral and responsibility they appreciated for the boy scouts was relatively new. Its on Mackinac Island with when the eagle scouts as depression rolls in the burger joint across in the high school where he worked on his lunch hour. And then in the evening and weekends as well. Restaurant calls of bills a place where he first meets his birth father. She is birthmother on the right. Take junior out to lunch. Talks with him, and encourages them to move with him to wyoming where he is living. He talks about that. First he writes in his article and then the book. Talks about it in a Television Interview and writes about in his memoirs. It was huge because he had to go home and tell his parents. Next slide mrs. Film mrs. Film that was found at the Grand Rapids Public Library and the High School Team football match between high school and south hides the first game of the season on the light great uniforms as his junior year. He is playing in here. You can look at it frame by frame and find number 53 and it and would become next years senior year the allstate player would learn would earn the state championship parent going to come up here in just a minute going to freezeframe so you can see the only known picture of gerald ford playing high school football. You see it coming in from your right hand side. There he is getting number 23 didnt want to the next slide there is a unique film there. Form ford would parlay that same on the football field through admission to the university of michigan. Their current him to play football. At this time they did not offer scholarships. Ford had to work his way through school, im sorry through college. The community would help get in there and hold him there. We see them playing against michigan state. His freshman year senior year allamerican center, and it goes undefeated in the championship. But it would become part of his senior year. They would take the lessons taught him patience, taught him teamwork. To achieve goals part of the bipartisan policy of his. The Fraternity House for which he resolved was the party house. Many of the greek houses. They were known for the parties gave us the camaraderie and friendship that ford loved. This is a party he was never going to wear the lampshade but he enjoyed that sort of fraternal activity. That very end is jack beckwith. His best man at his wedding. Impede the namesake of his second son jackson ford. In his congressional years work on the campaign in 1976. And unfortunately died in an Automobile Accident in the primaries are the end of the primary season in 1976. That took lessons from the football field, and lets go to the next slide. See three football offers, offers to play professional football for the lions pretty turns him down to go to yale of all things the boxing coach they knew nothing about boxing they knew nothing about yell stop at the ymca and grand rapids took some boxing lessons we know little bit about the language, the moves and enough to fool the rest of the team. He is at yell for five and half or six years for these are the years we dont know a whole lot about. Still a lot of work to be done. This is where he learns to play tennis pretty learns to play golf pretty learns to ski and play bridge. Becomes an excellent bridge player. Hes dating one of the top models in new york city. Ends up 1940 campaign. And also he gave voice to isolationism. As world war ii was boiling over in the pacific, taking shape ford was part of the majority. That was isolationism. He helped found the america the first chapter at gayle others establish them seems to be leading a loose of that position and it changes. If you go next slide it happens with so many and world war ii shut him of his isolationist position. 1943 covid 1944 he spends most honest Aircraft Carrier may be coming close to his life in the tornado that struck in december of 1944. After closer examination but this time aboard the uss monterey, the intense amount at the gilbert and the carolinas in the philippines and for most see earns eight battle stars was the athletic officer the gunnery officer and the assistant navigator as well. The theme on the lefthand side hes the one on the left i think that image is the japanese torpedo is staring down and they are returning fire. He comes back in 1936 and his interest in politics is interest in reforming politics and grand rapids in the state of michigan. Its also prominent and begins to shape his career. We go to the next slide, we go into congress, we rehearse that. He ends up in the presidency. And unfortunately not too often ford is seen as something of a placeholder some right about him. After nixon anticipating carter and Ronald Reagan. His presidency it took 95 days for the presidency. It was so much more than that. Has to select his own Vice President. With the nixon cabinet. That is going to take a while. What we might oversee, overlook his two weeks after that is when betty ford was in for a routine exam and realizes she has cancer, ends up in the hospital and what could be the darkest night of his presidency. That night he spends alone in the white house anticipating her surgery. Also dealing with inflation at this time. With smallpox to see their their strategic arms hoping for assault to agreements. So also dealing with the crisis between allied turkey and greece. We go to the next flight again, just has crowd is 895 days are. And how consequential they are. 1974 in january of 1965 mounting that recession. In april they changed anything there in operation baby lift in april 1975. He has to deal with throughout new york city crisis. You see the headlines one of the things that comes with the Ford Administration that line is reprised so often different ways. Also wrote the endorsement for gerald ford in the general election. Also the other cities that are facing similar crises throughout new york city are watching a ford in this ration dealt with that. The challenge later in 75 the bicentennial celebrations of 1976. I want to leave with this, betty ford the famous picture her striking a dance post on the table cabinet room and a lot of people write about this makes considering betty ford in the administration she said the one disappointment she had when she was not able to get a woman in the supreme court. Housing and urban Development Secretary with fords cabinet. But i want to take a different take on this. Shes an white house photographer, this was taken to generate 19 covid 1977, their last full day in the white house. What she is doing is shes taking a tour of the white house. She is meeting with the white house staff as many as she can find. Thanking them for having made the white house her home. Having welcomed her into the peoples house over the past two and half years. And it recalls something gerald ford did on his first day in the white house. He commuted from his home in alexandria nixon materials being taken out of residence. He walks up to the North Entrance of the white house with the marine guard is standing at attention pretty sticks out his hand to the marine, shakes his hand and said hello im gerry ford im going to be living here for a while what is your name . They brought with them some and grand rapids they learned on capitol hill played so much importance on people criticizing, for continuing to be a congressman while he was president. But those congressional qualities we often not overlook as they served so well. He was president , also dealing with foreign leaders and others the signal quality i hope i did not go t