Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum

We have had a couple of trying weeks with the passing of two friends and ongoing issues with Opus. We had hoped to have one of those resolved at Spartan while we were in WashPA for Tom's memorial service, but it did not happen. We had an appointment in Elkhart, IN this week and had a slide that would not open repaired. We are now in Bloomsburg, PA and have an appointment on Tuesday for a reoccurring acceleration problem that two other places did not get fixed. I will be writing more about these repairs when they are all completed. 

While in Michigan we toured the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids. Ford was our 38th president and came to the office via a path that no other person has followed to become president.  

The Ford Library is in Ann Arbor the home of the University of Michigan, his alma mater. Ford was born Leslie Lynch King Jr. in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was so abusive that his mother left him 16 days after he was born. They ended up in Grand Rapids where his mother married Gerald Rudolff Ford. His new family called him Gerald Jr. He was never formally adopted and did not legally change his name until 1935 after graduating from Michigan. He did not learn who his biological father was until he was 17. He had limited contact with him after that and he always said his stepfather was a wonderful man.

Ford was an outstanding student and athlete in high school. He was captain of the football team and won all-city honors as a senior. This statue is Jerry as an Eagle Scout, the only president to achieve scouting's highest rank. 

The statues are of a wolverine and a Michigan lineman. Ford played in two all-star games as a senior. His number "48" was retired in 1994, but has since been put back in use. The number 61 belonged to Willis Ward, Jerry's friend and roommate for away games. When Ford was a senior Georgia Tech refused to play the game if Ward, who was Black, played. Ford threatened not to play the game until Willis asked him to play without him. 

After playing for Michigan Ford was offered the chance to play for the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions. Instead, he decided to attend Yale Law School and graduated in 1941.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor Ford enlisted in the Navy. He was commissioned an ensign and assigned to duty in Maryland and North Carolina. He then asked for sea duty and was assigned to the USS Monterey. The ship saw action in several battles in the Pacific Theater. While the ship was not damaged in combat, it was caught in a typhoon that sank three other ships with over 800 men lost at sea. Ford was lucky not to be washed overboard when his ship listed to 25 degrees, only surviving by grabbing a small steel ledge on the ship. 

On October 15, 1948 he married Elizabeth (Betty) Bloomer in Grand Rapids. Then, in November, he won his first election to represent the Grand Rapids area in the US House of Representatives. He held that office for 25 years, the longest by any house member who became president. 

In the House President Johnson appointed him to the Warren Commission that investigated the Kennedy assassination. In 1965 he became the House minority leader, a position he held until he became vice-president. He said his only political goal was to become the Speaker of the House.

In December, 1973 he was tapped by Nixon to became vice-president after the resignation of Spiro Agnew because of corruption. This is the proclamation sent to the House by President Nixon nominating Ford to be vice-president. He received 387 votes, showing he had the support for the position from both parties.  

At that time the entire Nixon administration was under investigation for the Watergate affair where the democratic party's office was broken into to steal campaign information. Ten months after becoming vice-president Ford became president on August 9, 1974 when Nixon resigned rather than be impeached. He became the only person to be president who had not run for the office as president or vice-president.   

These words from his inaugural address capture the times very well as he made it about the rule of law and the Constitution, not about himself.

The replica of the Oval Office during the Ford presidency. The ship's wheel is from the SS Mayaguez, an American merchant ship that had been seized in international water off Cambodia in 1975. Ford sent Marines to retake the ship and the captain presented him with the wheel.

Ford's first month in office was a whirlwind, starting with his inauguration on August 9, 1974. The next day he asked the Nixon cabinet to stay and on the 12th he addressed Congress. On the 14th he dealt with a crisis in Cyprus and the 16th he held his first state dinner with the king and queen of Jordan. On August 19th he started the process that lead to clemency for draft dodgers and deserters during the Vietnam War. On August 20th he nominated Nelson Rockefeller over George H.W. Bush, as vice-president and on September 8th he pardoned Nixon. Many of these actions were unpopular, but he felt they were important for putting the years of unrest caused by Watergate and Vietnam behind us so we could move forward as a nation.  

Replica of the Cabinet Room during Ford's time in office. Each president selects the portraits for the room. Ford chose Republican presidents Eisenhower (not pictured) and Lincoln. He also chose Truman as a show of bipartisanship, something we sure don't find in the White House today.  

The Ford presidency was only 895 days long, the shortest of any president who did not die in office. During that time the economy was going through the worst recession since the Great Depression along with growing inflation. He did sign the Helsinki Accords that began a move to detente in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. In 1975 the Vietnam War ended with the fall of Saigon. The helicopter and staircase show how the last people left the country being rescued from the roof of the US embassy.

Many of those who escaped Vietnam had helped the Americans during the war and Ford made every effort to ensure those people where welcomed to the United States.

This exhibit shows some of Ford's diplomatic accomplishments, including going to China to continue the process put in place by Nixon. He also went to Vladivostok to meet with Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev to sign the SALT Treaty.  He was also the first president to visit Japan. The case holds gifts he received and the dishes used at state dinners.   

Ford was president in 1976 when the nation celebrated its 200th birthday. It was a period of unity for the country after the years of division caused by Nixon and Watergate.   

1976 was also a presidential election year and Ford ran or the office. The Republican Party was still divided because of Watergate so he had a hard fought battle with Ronald Reagan for the nomination. Ford won by only 100 votes at the convention.

In the general election Ford started very far behind Jimmy Carter but closed the gap. On election day Carter won the popular vote with 50.1% to Ford's 48.0%. The electoral votes were 297 to 240. With the loss he remains the only person to hold the office of president who had never won an election for the office of president or vice-president.

First Lady Betty Ford was an outspoken supporter of many causes. Soon after Jerry became president she announced she had breast cancer and had a mastectomy, bringing this important issue into the spotlight. She was an ardent backer of the Equal Rights Amendment, that failed to pass, and supported a woman's right to abortion. 

In 1978 Betty Ford admitted to being an alcoholic and addicted to opioid analgesics that she had been prescribed for a pinched nerve in the 1960's. Her candor about her addictions lead her to opening the Betty Ford Clinic in 1982 for the treatment of chemical dependency. Her belief in being an advocate for what she believed was best stated by her, "Being ladylike does not require silence." 

The Fords received many accolades after he left the presidency. Among the most important are the Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal (awarded to both of them), the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and the naming of the USS Gerald R. Ford honor his character and accomplishments.

The Fords are buried in the garden of the museum in Grand Rapids. They both died in Rancho Mirage, California where they had settled after the presidency. They were born five years apart and died five years apart, both at age 93. The Ford Museum is an interesting look at the life of the only person, who even though he become president without being elected, helped the nation heal the wounds of Watergate and Vietnam.

Michigan Capitol Building Tour

We have been in this part of Michigan several times for RV service but never toured the Michigan capitol. With this one we have now toured 21 capitols.

This building is Michigan's third capitol building.  Construction started in 1872 and the building was completed in 1878 at the cost of $1,427,738.78.  It was built in the Neoclassical style that includes both Greek and Roman architecture.

In the rotunda on the first floor is a display of replicas of battle flags carried by Michigan regiments during the Civil War.  The originals are now in the Michigan Historical Museum where they are being preserved.

Portrait of Gerald Ford, the only Michiganer to serve as president.  He is also the only person to become president without being elected as part of the presidential ticket.  He was appointed as vice president when Spiro Agnew was forced to resign and then became president when Richard Nixon resigned.  He lost his reelection bid to Jimmy Carter.

On the walls of the rotunda on the second and third floors is the Gallery of Governors.  Each governor pays for their portrait.  On the left is the most unusual Governor, John Swainson who at 35 was the youngest ever elected.  He deliberately had his painted with the unfinished look because at his young age he felt his career was unfinished.

There is only room for 14 portraits in the rotunda, so as new portraits are added the oldest one is moved to another location in the building.  Pictured right is Jennifer Granholm who was born in Canada and served as governor from 2003 to 2011. 

The dome is 160 feet above the floor of the rotunda.  The eight paintings depict the muses of Greek and Roman mythology and represent art, agriculture, law, science, justice, industry, commerce and education.  The dome and walls of the capitol have over nine acres of hand painted surfaces.  Until the renovation in the early 90's, most of the walls had been painted white covering the original works of art.  Today there is an artist on staff to touch up the beautiful paintings as needed. 

The floor of the rotunda is made with 976 pieces of 5/8 inch thick glass that is lit by lights from the ground floor.  It is designed to give the illusion of a bowl from above.

The House of Representatives has 110 members who are elected to two-year terms.  This is another wonderful example of the 1990's restoration. The walls of the chamber had been painted white, covering the original paint.  Great effort was made to insure the new colors where the same as the old.   All of the desks are original with new wiring for modern computers.

The ceilings of both the House and Senate chambers have etched glass panels.  In the House they are the state seals of all 50 states.  Before the restoration they had been pieces of wood painted white. 

The detail goes all the way to the door hinges and knobs which have the Michigan state seal that includes the state motto in Latin and translates to, "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you."   Pictured in the background is the marble floor which contains many fossils.  We have seen this in other capitols.

The rostrum is for the presiding official who, in Michigan, is the lieutenant governor. Like the U.S. Senate they only vote if there is a tie. In both chambers the members are seated by party with Democrats on the left and Republicans on the right (how appropriate) facing the rostrum.

Since we were on a self guided tour we lucked out and were allowed on the rostrum to gavel in the session. You never know what you may get to do on these tours.

The Senate has 38 members who are elected to four-year terms. The desks in this chamber were also restored and the floor was raised to accommodate the wiring.   Each desk here has a large chair for the senator and a smaller one facing back for their secretary or assistant.

The old Supreme Court Chamber, now the meeting room for the Senate Appropriations Committee, has also been restored to its original grandeur.

There is only one statue on the grounds of a specific person. It is Austin Blair who was the Civil War Governor. Blair was very popular long after is term ended in 1864 and was a great hero until his death in 1894. Left is a catalpa tree that was growing on the grounds when the building was dedicated almost 130 years ago. This was one of the nicest capitols we have toured, especially since it has been restored to its original appearance.

South to Betty's

When we left WashPA our first stop was in Cleveland for the Yanni -- Barnhart wedding (last post) followed by an annual service and overall chassis inspection appointment at Spartan in Michigan. The work at Spartan only took one day so we decided to sprint to Betty's RV Park in Louisiana.  This meant we drove 1600 miles of almost all interstate highway, something we have never done in so few days since going on the road.  Below are a few of the "highlights" of driving the super highways.

Welcome to Ohio So Much to Discover.  Nice fall colors.

Welcome to Pure Michigan.  Where a turkey flew across the highway and, fortunately, into the side of Opus rather than Opus hitting it.  No damage.

Indiana, Crossroads of America, Lincoln's Boyhood Home.  Very flat.

Welcome to Illinois, The Land of Lincoln.  Seems to be a fight between Indiana and Illinois over Lincoln.

Approaching a high point of the trip, the first of three crossings over the Mississippi River.

Missouri Welcomes You.  Even if it was for less than 100 miles across the boot heel, we knew we were in the South as we saw cotton, kudzu and a dead armadillo.

You never know what you will see along America's highways.

Welcome to Arkansas, The Natural State, Buckle Up For Safety.  Glad they are concerned about our safety.

We are once again East of the Mississippi.

Tennessee, The Volunteer State Welcomes You.  We felt welcome even though we were only there for 15 minutes.

Welcome to Mississippi, Birthplace of America's Music.  We enjoyed the music on our last visit but this time we were on a mission.

Welcome to Louisiana, Bienvenue en Louisiane, Keep Louisiana Beautiful.  Wow, they manage to put the state name on the sign three times and in two languages.

One last crossing to the West side of the Mississippi River at Baton Rouge.  

What a trip!!  Two nights dry camping in the hotel parking lot in Cleveland, two nights with only power at Spartan, two Wally World stays and one Passport America park later we made it to Betty's.  We were greeted by friends old and new.  We are looking forward to a fun six week stay in the heart of Cajun Country.

We did have one issue coming south.  When I plugged in Opus at Spartan the readout on our Progressive Industries EMS system was just flashing and would not let the power into the rig.  Even though it was after 7PM on the East coast, Donald took my call at home and talked me through what I needed to do to bypass the system.  When we got to Betty's a FREE new board was waiting for me.  With the help of Mike I installed the new board and all is fine.  I have always been happy with how the EMS has performed and I'm now also real happy with their customer service.