[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 380-381]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING PRESIDENT GERALD FORD

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I never had the opportunity to meet with 
Gerald Ford when he was President, but I did when he was Vice 
President. I was chairman of the National Lieutenant Governors 
Conference. This was during the height of the energy crisis, and we 
came to Washington. One of the pleasures was meeting with the Vice 
President in the White House. That was really a big deal for me, a 
young Lieutenant Governor from Nevada. And a week or so after having 
met with the Vice President, he sent a picture to my home, a picture of 
me and the Vice President. That was really a significant event in the 
Reid family, but also my boy thought it was a significant event, and he 
took a crayon and marked all over that picture--my prized picture of my 
being in Washington, sitting with the Vice President. So my wife and I 
labored for some time and worked to get the crayon off that picture. We 
did a pretty good job. I still have the picture, but you can see my 
boy's marking on that with his crayon. I wish I had the opportunity to 
talk to the Vice President about that. I am sure he would have laughed.
  President Ford was a wonderful man. We all know he died the day after 
Christmas. He was 93 years old. There were celebrations, as there 
should have been, in the Capitol Rotunda, at the National Cathedral, 
the Ford Presidential Library in Grand Rapids, MI, and the Episcopal 
Church in Grand Rapids, MI, where I had the opportunity to attend at 
the invitation of the former First Lady. The speeches were good. Former 
Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld spoke, President Jimmy Carter spoke, a 
noted historian spoke. It was really a quite moving event.
  We have heard tales during the past couple weeks of Gerald Ford and 
the athlete he was. We have even read from Chevy Chase, who became 
famous literally making fun of Gerald Ford. He made fun of him 
because--he was a big man--coming out of an airplane once, he hit his 
head on the airplane door, and that was the beginning of Chevy Chase's 
career.
  The fact is, even though Chevy Chase became famous making fun of 
President Ford, we have never had a more athletic President than 
President Ford--All-Big Ten; he was a great, outstanding football 
player at the University of Michigan.
  As a Member of Congress, he was outstanding. He was praised by people 
who served with him. He served for about 25 years in the Congress and 
became the Republican leader. He, of course, was Commander in Chief as 
President of the United States. But one of the things we have learned 
so directly during the last couple weeks is how great he was to his 
wife Betty. She, during the time of their real public presence, had 
breast cancer and had a bout with alcoholism, and she approached both 
in a very strong, courageous way. The Betty Ford Clinic in Palm Springs 
is a place where people go to find that they are addicted and need 
help. But we have learned what a wonderful wife she was to President 
Ford and what a great First Lady she was to her entire country.
  We have heard tributes from Senators, Governors, clergy, newsmen, and 
Presidents. They differed in tone and substance, but they all made the 
point of stressing one thing: Gerald Ford was, above all, a man of 
integrity, a man of honesty, and, ultimately, a role model for all of 
us who serve in Government.
  He, of course, is the only man to become President who was never 
elected.

[[Page 381]]

Yet, time and time again, he proved himself the right man at the right 
time, healing the Nation after the scars of Watergate and moving our 
country forward.
  Husband to his wife Betty, father to his beautiful children, Michael, 
John, Steven, and Susan, World War II veteran, star athlete, even an 
Eagle Scout--Gerald Ford was the core of what America is all about, a 
shining example of what we hold best in America. He took office at a 
dark time in our country's history and shepherded this Nation through 
the trials of Vietnam and Watergate, with a bipartisan spirit of 
reconciliation and grace, a shining example to us all. He reminded a 
wounded nation of the honesty and decency of its leaders.
  Mr. President, we all hope when we pass on our friends and colleagues 
will look back and say we left the world a better place. With Gerald 
Ford, there is no doubt. This Government, this Nation, this world are 
better from Gerald Ford's life and service to our country, and for this 
the Senate honors his life today.

                          ____________________