[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 5 (Wednesday, January 10, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S350-S351]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING PRESIDENT GERALD FORD

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, it is with great sadness but great honor 
that I rise to commemorate the life and actions of Gerald R. Ford, the 
38 President of the United States. President Ford led our country 
through turbulent and uncertain times and did so with a kind of strong 
modesty that he was known for his entire life. From his days as a star 
of the University of Michigan football team to serving as minority 
leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, Gerald Ford's ability to 
lead was apparent to all. Aside from his leadership qualities, 
President Ford was a man beyond reproach and respected by all. These 
qualities made him Richard Nixon's choice to replace his first Vice 
President, Spiro Agnew. Following President Nixon's resignation, Gerald 
Ford returned honor to the office of the President and restored the 
country's confidence in our leaders. Gerald Ford exemplified the best 
of America and served the country in every way. From his heroism in 
World War II to his Presidency and graceful retirement, he harkens back 
to a day when love of country and bipartisanship were paramount.
  Mrs. DOLE. Mr. President, it is with a heavy heart that I join with 
all North Carolinians and all Americans in mourning the passing of 
President Gerald Ford. I was privileged to call President Ford a dear 
friend for more than 30 years, and my husband Bob and I continue to 
keep Betty and the entire Ford family in our thoughts and prayers.
  President Ford presided over America during some of her most 
difficult and challenging times. Immediately upon entering the Oval 
Office, President Ford was confronted with a myriad of problems--a 
faltering economy, energy shortages, international disputes, and a 
nation disheartened and disillusioned by scandal. He confronted these 
challenges head-on, and he did so with honesty, integrity, common 
sense, and decency. He was a true American patriot who never failed to 
put the interests of his country above his own political interests. 
And, to me, that is the embodiment of a true leader.
  Long before entering the White House, President Ford had a 
distinguished and successful career. He diligently represented the 
people of Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives for 25 years, 
including 8 years serving as House minority leader. Throughout each 
chapter of his career, President Ford displayed extraordinary care and 
thoughtfulness as he worked tirelessly to bring together his 
colleagues--from both sides of the ideological spectrum--for the 
betterment of our Nation. And in turn, his colleagues respected him, 
relied on his wise judgment, and valued his leadership.
  As my husband Bob says, President Ford was the type of person you 
would want as your next-door neighbor. He was humble, down-to-earth, 
and accessible. What you saw with President Ford was what you got.
  In addition to having the honor of serving in President Ford's 
administration as a Federal Trade Commissioner, I had the privilege of 
spending a good bit of time with President Ford and his dear wife Betty 
when my husband campaigned as his running mate in 1976. During this 
time, I saw a side of the President that I wish every American could 
have seen.
  I will never forget the day when President Ford announced that Bob 
would be his running mate. We were in Bob's hometown of Russell, KS, 
and my mother-in-law wanted very much to serve a home-cooked fried 
chicken dinner to the President. But when President Ford and Bob 
arrived at her home, they discovered that Mrs. Dole had accidentally 
locked herself out of the house. So there was the President of the 
United States standing on the front stoop patiently waiting for Mrs. 
Dole to find the spare key. She was a nervous wreck, but the President 
didn't mind one bit--instead, he kindly offered to help her find the 
key, so together they searched until they found it behind a drainpipe. 
I have always thought this story about a small kindness truly speaks 
volumes about the sterling character of a man I have long respected and 
admired. Even as President Ford had the weight of the world on his 
shoulders, he always treated his fellow man with kindness, respect, and 
personal modesty.
  President Ford served the United States with courage and distinction, 
and he provided a shining example for all public servants to follow. I 
am so proud to have known this man of character, strength, and 
intellect. I will miss my friend, and I wish the best to Betty, his 
children, Michael, John, Steven, and Susan, and the entire Ford family.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to state how proud I was to 
support Senate Resolution 19, celebrating the life of the late 
President Gerald R. Ford.
  It was an honor to commemorate the extraordinary legacy of the 38th 
President of the United States, Gerald Rudolph Ford, as we have mourned 
the loss of a treasured national leader and exceptional public servant.
  President Ford will forever be remembered for his unassailable 
integrity and decency, at a most difficult and challenging time. He was 
truly a great American who devoted his life not only to the Nation he 
loved but also to the finest and most ennobling ideals of public 
service. Throughout the years, President Ford represented a voice of 
civility and problem-solving--of consensus-building--and healing. 
History will record that his contribution to America's story was both 
indispensable and irrefutable.
  When our Nation looked to him for assurance, his stalwart character, 
disposition, and judgment instilled a quiet and renewed confidence in 
our country. He restored the public trust in the Presidency and in our 
Government, reminded us of the strength and durability of our 
Constitution, and engendered a hope that tempered our anxieties and 
turned our attention once again to the future.
  During his distinguished 25 years as both a Member and later minority

[[Page S351]]

leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, then-Congressman Gerald 
Ford never sought the office of Vice President or President, but when 
in 1974 he faced the daunting task of assuming the highest office in 
the land, his steadfast dedication to the bedrock principles of 
hardwork, common sense, and duty--so emblematic of his upbringing and 
his remarkable career in Congress--prepared him to occupy the White 
House and served him well over the course of his brief but historic 
tenure.
  With an unwavering moral compass, a certain grasp of purpose, and an 
always-steady resolve, President Ford guided us out of conflict abroad 
and quelled our concerns here at home and in doing so brought honor to 
the Oval Office and reassurance to Americans. It is fitting that in 
football as well as in his public life, Gerald Ford was ever the 
keystone, the center that held those around him together, who 
exemplified the essential underpinning that made progress possible.
  On a personal note, last summer I had the esteemed privilege of 
cosponsoring--along with Senators Warner, Stevens, and Levin--an 
amendment offered by Senator John Warner to the 2007 Defense 
authorization bill that would name our Nation's newest carrier the 
``USS Gerald R. Ford.'' In fact, the Navy's entire class of future 
carriers would be known as the Ford class--in honor of the President we 
praise.
  Later this month, that accolade--which the Senate passed 
unanimously--is expected to come to fruition. Such a bestowal by Navy 
Secretary Winter would be an appropriate tribute to then-Lieutenant 
Ford, who, as a sailor in December 1944, encountered a typhoon while 
aboard the carrier USS Monterey and demonstrated the virtues that would 
emerge as the hallmark of his unflagging service and sacrifice to our 
Nation, such as calm and courage amid turmoil, presence of mind to act 
decisively despite confusion and chaos, and an unflinching will of 
spirit to help others, even at great personal peril.
  It has been recounted in the Bob Drury and Tom Clavin book ``Halsey's 
Typhoon: The True Story of A Fighting Admiral, an Epic Storm, and an 
Untold Rescue'' that Lieutenant Ford rescued wounded comrades, beat 
back raging fires, and helped salvage a ship that was ordered to be 
abandoned. Gerald Ford was integral to the effort driven by the simple 
belief of the skipper, Captain Ingersoll, that ``we can fix this.'' As 
part of Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet, they did not give up the USS 
Monterey in what reportedly was ``one of the worst natural disasters in 
U.S. military history,'' a disaster where much of the fleet was 
decimated and more men were purportedly killed than in the Battle of 
Midway.
  Mr. President, this story in many ways embodies the essence of this 
great son of Michigan. The story of the USS Monterey is telling in 
that--like President Ford--it has for years taken a humble and 
unassuming place in the American narrative--and yet over time has 
rightfully grown in stature and acclaim. We also see a disposition and 
valor in a young sailor that would be brought to bear later in life as 
a statesman. Lieutenant Ford's reaction to conflagration and crisis was 
to take action and help tamp it down. Gerald Ford helped bring under 
control the flames that imperiled the USS Monterey. He would do 
similarly as President when charged to guide the ship of state--which 
he did with a fearless, unflappable demeanor. And which he did, to 
paraphrase President Lincoln, ``with firmness in the right as God [gave 
him] to see the right.'' And through his eloquence of action, Gerald 
Ford moved us all to ``strive on to finish the work we [were] in'' . . 
. and helped ``to bind up the nation's wounds.'' And for that we are 
eternally grateful.
  Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with First Lady Betty Ford, 
their children, and the entire Ford family. May God bless and keep 
President Gerald R. Ford and may God bless the United States of America 
he so ably led.

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