esrosedotblog

FORD

I haven't written about Gerald Ford.

I have to admit to no grief. He was a man who lived a full life ands lived a long time. No complaints there.

He did very well by himself. He played fair and was honest about who he was and what he believed.

I remember his presidency and I don't think that I disliked anything about him. In fact, I admired his courage in pardoning Nixon and getting the country back on track.

He was the anti-Reagan and Bush. He felt as though they took his party away from him.

He spoke out against the war in Iraq posthumously. Some said too late but that was Ford's style.

All of this is overshadowed though. He was a valued citizen in my own community. He gave his time and attention unstintingly to local affairs. He and Betty were a part of the community.

They did the AIDS walk, he supported local charities. He showed up at City Council hearings and often just listened.

They appeared in restaurants and shows at the local theater, they went to church, they never, ever failed to be kind when people gave them attention.

It is a testament to his personal values that no one I know ever thought of him as the ex-President first. He was always Mr. Ford and then his history followed. He had none of the ego-gleam of the self obsessed.

I never saw or met him. I get all of this second hand. But I know that it is true.

He was, as they say, a good guy.