[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15495-15496]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING FORMER PRESIDENT GERALD FORD ON HIS 91ST BIRTHDAY

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 405, which was 
submitted earlier today by Senators Stabenow and Levin.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will state the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 405) honoring former President Gerald 
     R. Ford on the occasion of his 91st birthday, and sending the 
     best wishes of the Senate to former President Ford and his 
     family.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, today I join my colleague from Michigan in 
supporting resolution honoring Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of 
the United States on the occasion of his 91st birthday.
  President Ford, the favorite son of the city of Grand Rapids, and the 
only President from Michigan, played a memorable role in our Nation's 
history in one of its darkest hours. The first Vice-President appointed 
under the 25th amendment to the Constitution, he became president when 
Richard Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal. It was 
Gerald Ford's calm and steady leadership that began the process of 
healing our Nation's wounds after one of the most serious domestic 
crises in our history. President Clinton awarded him the Medal of 
Freedom, in 1999, in recognition of that leadership.
  Gerald Ford served thirteen terms in the House of Representatives. 
From 1965 through 1973, he was the minority leader in that body. It is 
particularly instructive in this time of partisan division in the 
Congress to reflect on his example as one who fought many battles on 
behalf of his party, and his constituency, but who did so without 
acrimony or ill-will. He build life-long relationships and friendships 
across the party aisle--even with his opposite numbers in the House 
Democratic leadership. We would be well served at this time in this 
body to remember his example.
  I extend my congratulations and best wishes to Gerry Ford, his 
wonderful wife, Betty, and his family. I am certain that the people of 
Michigan, and our colleagues in the Senate join Senator Stabenow and me 
in paying tribute to President Ford on his 91st birthday.
  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the only 
person from the State of Michigan to have served as President of the 
United States. On behalf of the people of the State of Michigan, I want 
to extend my best wishes to President Gerald R. Ford and his family on 
the occasion of his 91st birthday.
  President Ford took office during an extraordinarily trying time for 
America. He was the first Vice President chosen under the terms of the 
Twenty-Fifth Amendment and, in the aftermath of Watergate, succeeded 
the first American President ever to resign. In his inaugural address 
on August 9, 1974, President Ford noted, ``This is an hour of history 
that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts.'' Gerald Ford took on the 
challenge of healing our national faith in the presidency with courage, 
wisdom and integrity.
  Indeed, it was President Ford's reputation for openness and integrity 
that propelled him into the White House. He was appointed Vice 
President after serving twelve terms in the U.S. House of 
Representatives, having secured each term with more than 60 percent of 
the vote. The confidence of his colleagues fueled his ascent to Ranking 
Member on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and, eventually, to 
Minority Leader. It also won him an appointment to the Warren 
Commission investigating the assassination of President John F. 
Kennedy.
  As President, Gerald Ford led our Nation on the path toward healing a 
wounded faith in that office. He also labored to improve relationships 
among nations. In his own words ``a dyed-in-the-wool 
internationalist,'' President

[[Page 15496]]

Ford presided over the signing of the Helsinki Agreement, which 
ratified post-World War II European borders and codified international 
human rights standards. He also worked for improved relations among the 
nations of the Middle East and, together with Soviet leader Leonid 
Brezhnev, set new limitations on nuclear proliferation.
  Since leaving the White House in 1977, President Ford has remained 
actively engaged in the political process and has continued to speak 
out on important issues. He has lectured at hundreds of colleges and 
universities, hosted numerous forums on public affairs, and served as 
an adjunct professor of Government at the University of Michigan. In 
1999, President Bill Clinton awarded Ford the Presidential Medal of 
Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian honor.
  Gerald Ford has also made an important mark in his home State of 
Michigan. In 1977, he announced the establishment of the Gerald R. Ford 
Institute for Public Policy and Service at Albion College, which 
administers an interdisciplinary program for undergraduate students 
preparing for careers in public service. In 1981, the Gerald R. Ford 
Library in Ann Arbor and the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids were 
dedicated. Through these institutions, the people of Michigan and many 
visitors from around the country and the world continue to benefit from 
President Ford's legacy of internationalism, scholarship and humor.
  President Ford, on the occasion of your 91st birthday, the American 
people salute you, and express our profound gratitude for your 
leadership and service.
  Mr. President. I yield the floor.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
and preamble be agreed to en bloc, the motion to reconsider be laid 
upon the table, and that any statements relating thereto be printed in 
the Record, without intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 405) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 405

       Whereas Gerald Rudolph Ford was born on July 14, 1913;
       Whereas Gerald R. Ford is the only person from the State of 
     Michigan to have served as President of the United States;
       Whereas Gerald R. Ford graduated from the University of 
     Michigan where he was a star center on the football team and 
     later turned down offers to play in the National Football 
     League;
       Whereas Gerald R. Ford attended Yale University Law School 
     and graduated in the top 25 percent of his class while also 
     working as a football coach;
       Whereas in 1942, Gerald R. Ford joined the United States 
     Navy Reserves and served valiantly on the U.S.S. Monterey in 
     the Philippines during World War II, surviving a heavy storm 
     during which he came within inches of being swept overboard;
       Whereas the U.S.S. Monterey earned 10 battle stars, awarded 
     for participation in battle, while Gerald R. Ford served on 
     the ship;
       Whereas Gerald R. Ford was released to inactive duty in 
     1946 with the rank of Lieutenant Commander;
       Whereas in 1948, Gerald R. Ford was elected to the House of 
     Representatives where he served with integrity for 25 years;
       Whereas in 1963, President Lyndon Johnson appointed Gerald 
     R. Ford to the Warren Commission investigating the 
     assassination of President John F. Kennedy;
       Whereas from 1965 to 1973, Gerald R. Ford served as 
     minority leader of the House of Representatives;
       Whereas from 1974 to 1976, Gerald R. Ford served as the 
     38th President of the United States, taking office at a dark 
     hour in the history of the United States and restoring the 
     faith of the people of the United States in the Presidency 
     through his wisdom, courage, and integrity;
       Whereas in 1975, the United States signed the Final Act of 
     the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, 
     commonly known as the ``Helsinki Agreement'', which ratified 
     post-World War II European borders and supported human 
     rights;
       Whereas since leaving the Presidency, Gerald R. Ford has 
     been an international ambassador of American goodwill, a 
     noted scholar and lecturer, and a strong supporter of the 
     Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of 
     Michigan, which was named for the former President in 1999;
       Whereas Gerald R. Ford was awarded the Congressional Gold 
     Medal in 1999; and
       Whereas on July 14, 2004, Gerald R. Ford will celebrate his 
     91st birthday: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate honors former President Gerald R. 
     Ford on the occasion of his 91st birthday and extends its 
     congratulations and best wishes to former President Ford and 
     his family.

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