... ... the presidency highlights president and first lady's. next a look back at gerald ford, the only white house occupant never to have been elected either vice president or president. he took office on august the ninth covid 1974 after president nixon's resignation. gerald r ford, presidential museum curator donald holloway uses archival photographs and film to talk about his life and presidency. >> our featured speaker today is donald holloway. donald is the curator for the

gerald r ford presidential museum. he came to the ford presidential museum in 1996. since then he's helped cure, shape over 70 exhibits including the centennial exhibit at both president and mrs. ford as well as the renovations of the museum, the court exhibited 1997 and 2016. he has a bachelors degree of history and political science from oklahoma baptist university and the masters from kansas where he served as adjunct professor to teach american history. don, welcome are you with us? >> i am thank you for having me. >> excellent, how are you doing and most important a house the staff doing? are you guys reopened? there's obviously a lot of energy to get the museums reopen how are things there? >> we hope to share that soon for the staff is doing well and eager to get back. the library is in phase one.

some of the archivists are returning and doing some work on site. thees museum continues in phase zero. but the numbers are trending our way. we hope in short order to be in a position or we can reopen the doors to the public. >> excellent, excellent. we are excited because justice last weekend we were open in washington d.c. the headquarters for a few hours on saturday and sunday we are testing out systems here in washington and eager to open the doors all the way up, get the crowds in. i know you've got a great program for us today. going to turn the strain over two and letto you run through it and they will come back obviously with q&a at the end.

learn talk a little about the library and the museum. you get more gerald ford in brick and mortar the library separated in different buildings thinking of eisenhower are separated by a state is on the east side of the state on the north campus of the university of michigan, gerald ford's alma mater. the museum is one third to 30 to the west in grand rapids. gerald ford's home town and the heart of his district which he represented in congress for 25 years. so we are unique among presidential libraries by having a facility separated in

this way. i can get into that in the q&a it's this unique situation was set up and in no small part because the unique way gerald ford came to the presidency. because of that unique entry into the presidency by gerald ford is we have to introduce gerald ford to our people. he is not known in the same way as other presidents who rent full throated campaigns for the office are. the next slide. i am going to take her to the oval office in 1975 and set this up on something david mccall has said after he published his biography on johnhn adams. having brought two of our

lesser-known presidents harry truman and john adams to fuller attention of the american public through the successful books of. he was being interviewed and been asked by the interviewer among the 20th century presidents, which are present really needs to be known better by the american public? without hesitation the fellows had gerald ford. here we aree march 10 covid 1975. lake rainy monday spring and washington. sitting behind his oval desk who has occupied for seven months at this point talking to his chief of staff donald rumsfeld heard in the background as a name of john hersey. john is a pulitzer prize-winning novelist they ask him to follow him for a week during his presidency. president ford has agreed to

that. the object was to write a lengthy story about gerald ford. they said america needs to know more about their president. the polling that was going on inside the fordne administration on this time ford's own sense confirmed with the magazine was asserting. ford needed to be better known by the american people. he well known inside the beltway on capitol hill in his fifth district. we go to the next slide where he had run for office in 1948. i love the image on the left. i came to know very well about gerald ford.

he's well known in grand rapids he is known as a hard worker, a straight shooter is someone who had no pretense about him he is a good listener and someone who kept his word. and so here he is, the attorney talking to the farmers, cannot pretend to be a farmer himself butot listen to them and promising that they sent him to congress he will carry their concerns with them to capitol hill. loose farmers turned out in the primaries seated of the fifth district replaced him with gerald ford. then in november of 19 he won the generally election. those on capitol hill learn

his word he was a good listener among congress and the republicans important positions early in his career. the republicans coming through into a majority but oversees the army's budget. the b&c and south korea they're having bases in the pacific so he's traveling the globe attending to the army's needs, listen to them, seeing how they spend their money.

displaced on that committee in 1957 reaches out to him as one of two members on members of the committee of president john f. kennedy of the warren commission. she is his own phrase he decided early on after mentors on capitol hill of someone who's going tois make his name by hard work on committees.

he's known for his constituent service. his eating lunch, sitting at his desk reading constituent mail. we had a standing order that all constituents phone calls, would be answered returned to congress each time with less than 61%. he kept a diary is not really a diary it's a desk calendar where he jotted down it's not everyday but often. we get a sense of his workflow. for him is not a monday -- friday job it was a sunday -- saturday job. he was often in the office on saturdays and sundays.

it would take the kids with him, though plain statutory hall with other kids of other leaders. sometimes a be sitting at the typewriter typing letters to their mother telling her. i earned it about bipartisanship who is mr. bipartisan. he worked well about people on both sides of the aisle. he doesn't welch remember he was partisan. he has a republican who sought leadership. with republican leader from the senate what's called the ebon gerry show. the television cameras before

the press that help promote the republican take shots that president johnson moved into leadership by 1964. his delegation is rewarding him at every turn in alexandria, home dining room they're born in 1950 susan the youngest 1957 dear jack and steve m between the hard work he did on capitol hill had a toll. he was known as him the all american family. we all know all american

families turbulent 1960s and yet her husband is gone so much bowtie moves into leadership in 1964 he could be gone over 200 days that was hard on her first lady she talk she was open about the psychiatric help to help restore a sense of self-worth. in how effective that was. it's not easy there are challenges the tackle them

seeking that speakership they have made great strides in recovering those numbers secures the presidency and a razor's thin election his friend, richard nixonon is elected to the presidency. there he is campaigning alongside candidate nixon. it's in his own district. once nixon begins his administration, gerald ford rc minority leader works closely with the white house to advance the next agenda on capitol hill to help them shape that agenda.

nixon wins a historic landslide election but that needle barely moves for the republicans on capitol hill. becoming dream of speaker probably is not going topr happen. i stand for election once again promote its agenda they return to grand rapids next slide i've not even mention watergate during this time. in 1972 not reasons for

watergate but president nixon gets to exercise that allows the president to nominate a person to fill the vacancy of the vice presidency should it occur with the consent of congress. as a tribute to gerald ford bipartisanship in 1973 this only 35 members of the house is only who voted against gerald ford. about us close to acclamation. by december of 1973 ford has moved the house of representatives becoming president of the senate for

the vice president of the united states. he holds that position for eight months. then nixon, in august of 1974 himself resigns and ford becomes president of the unitedsi states. i like the image of the friendship magazine that promotes a new america. there is the new president seated and betty ross fashion. not making the american flag but mending the american flag. above him are two images 1948 congressional campaign. it's not just america who want to know more about theiror new president, it is the world want to know something about the new president of the united states. we'll go to the next slide, what we find out he was not born in michigan.

he was not born gerald ford. he was leslie lynch king junior july 14 covid 1913. on the right side in the bed which he was born left side of the house in which he was born to his mother's father-in-law she had married leslie mitch king in 1913. the other one and only child leslie king proves himself to be someone who is physically and mentally abusive, two weeks after king secrets the child out of the house onto a train and off to chicago and to grand rapids where the parents are developing real estate. sheet susan ford to voice in 1913 amount was granted.

in the two years later, she has met a paint salesman at a church picnic. a fellow by the name of gerald ford. you see him on the left hn side. you see junior in front of him. she marries him in february 1917. a rolling evolution of ford's name begins at that time. he is known during this period as junior king. and then he goes to the school at five years old he enrolls it as a junior king ford. by the time he gets to middle school he's known as junior ford. at thet time he graduates from high school 1931 and goes to the university of michigan he's known as a gerald ford junior. and 195 he and hisn father petition the courts to have

his name changed officially to gerald rudolph ford junior. there is never an adoption. there is an official name change at theme end. stepfather are very active p and grand rapids. his father was humming a paint salesman to starting his own paint and varnish company. mother and father teach their children ford has three half-brothers, teaches their children their moral and >> responsibilities, one of the organizations of boy scouts which was relatively at the time, gives himself over to the boy scouts but time is 14 years old he saw on mackinac island in 19207, he also learns from his parents

the virtues of hard work as the depression rolls in, he takes jobs, one of them was at a restaurant, a burger joint across the street from the high school where hejo worked on his lunch hour in the evenings and weekends as well. you see them position between his two colleagues. it is at that restaurant calls and bills place he first reaches a birth father. leslie king shows up one day and says i am your father. takes junior out to lunch and talked with him. he encourages him to move with him to wyoming where hege is living and ford said that was the darkest nights. he talks about that first he writes about it in article and in his book. writes about it in his memoirs.

he had to go home and tell his parents what just happened. it was a traumatic experience. next line this is a film. will only show the first minute and a half of it. this is film serendipitously he called me up and said hey we found this film i think you'd be interested in seeing it. heoo received 19209 a football match between ottawa high school in south high it is the first game of the season. south high kicks off in the dark uniforms gerald ford, this is his junior year the film is good enough you can

look at it slide by slide, frame by frame and find number 23 in it. ford would become the captain of the team the next year his senior year. they would earn a state championship. i'm going to come appear just a man going to freeze-frame the only known footage of gerald ford playing high school football. just a minute you'll see number 23 coming in from theu right hand side. so it down and there he is, junior ford number 23 his junior year. you can stop itt there gone to the next slide. that is a unique film. they recruited him to play football. at this time the big ten did

not offer scholarships. ford had to work his way through high school. i'm sorry through college. heck took the to get him there michigan state, he would be named the most promising a player his freshman year, the most valuable player his senior year. behind it all american when the team goes undefeated with his national championships. then he would start his senior year. he would take the lessons from football with him into adulthood. and he would write about it taught them patients, taught him teamwork it taught him to give and take necessary to achieve goals, part of that bipartisan quality of his.

he would take with him friendships from delta kappa epsilon. that is the image on the right, the fraternity house to achieve belonged really was the animal house of the university of michigan. it was the party house. as on the edge of being decertified and kicked off campus. the lowest cumulative gpa in any of the greek houses. they were known for the parties they gave its camaraderie and friendships he was never going tohi be the life of the party, but he enjoyed that sort of fraternal activity. it's friends here he would take with him into adulthood. he saw these on the first wrote right hand side, second from the end and the fellow sitting next to him investment at his wedding would be the

namesake of the second son jack ford. couple rows back second from the end on the left-hand side as jack styles to be a close friend from grand rapids would unfortunately die in anly automobile accident at the end of the primary season took lessons in the lessons field leaves the university of michigan that professional football from the bears and the lions he turns them down to go to yale where he would become the assistant football coach, the junior varsity assistant coach and about things the boxing coach. he did nothing of boxing. before he left for yelp, took

some boxing lessons we know little bit about the language andd the moves and hopefully enough to fool the rest of the team. he stays with t it. he stays at yale for five and a half or six years. these are the years we don't know much about ford as we would like too. there's still a lot of work to be done here, productive work. he learned to play tennis, he learned to playy golf, ski. the toping one of models he ends up in the magazine spreads it is also gave voice to his isolationism as world war ii was boiling in thee pacific.

ford was part of what the majority opinion in the united states he helped found america the first chapter yell worked help others establish them. he seems to be letting loose world war ii, to shed him of his isolationist position and it makes the transition to an internationalist. 1943 covid 1944 he spends most of the aircraft carrier. talked about him coming close to losing his life in the tornado a 1944. closerte examination of the u.s.

moderate shows the intent amount of action that he actually saw off the philippines, he earns eight battle e stars. he is the athletic officer, a gunnery officer in the assistant navigator as o well. you see them on the left-hand side he goes up for the rebound and then i think that image is off as a japanese tornado is they are returning fire. comes back in 1946 his interest in politics is stoked is interested is also

prominent we go to the next slide, he goes into congress, we have rehearsed that. he endsd up in the presidency. and unfortunately at this time, too often ford is seen as something of a placeholder, a steward if you will, someone keeping the chair warm as some right about him. after nixon anticipating carter and ronald reagan. because presidency is 895 days in his presidency is so much more than that. as he comes into office he has to choose his own vice president decide what is going to the nixon cabinet and how it's going to shape his own cabinet. that's going to take a while.

we know in september he pardoned richard nixon. we might overlook is two weeks afterlo that is when betty ford goes into routine exam finds out she has cancer ends up in the hospital or what is the darkest night of his presidency that night he spends alone in thene white house anticipating her surgery the next day. he is also dealing with inflation at thiss time. it's pictured in november, i'm meeting with a brush enough as he is advancing with the strategic arms limitation talk hoping for an agreement. he is doing with the crisis between two nato allies turkey and greece. we go to the next slide, the final slide again this how crowded eight or 95 days arere and how consequential they are. yes the pivot quickly into

january of 1975 doug inflation, then with the recession a mounting recession vietnam is falling apart. vietnam is falling apart. in april we vacate from it. there's operation baby lift in early april of 1975. then in may of that year, the cambodian seizure has to deal throughout the summer into the fall of the york city crisis you see the daily headlines one of the things that comes to us that headline is reprised in different ways. ford made the city dropdead. what we failed to account for the same editor that wrote the headline also wrote the endorsement for gerald ford in the 1976 general election. and we fail to remember also

all of the other cities that were facing similar crises to newr york city watching how the ford in this ration dealt with that. but also the rig and challenge the emergence later on 75, the campaign and 76 in the bicentennial celebrations of 1976. i want to leave but this betty ford in this famous picture her striking thee dance pose on the table of the cabinet room. a lot of people write about the statement this makes considering betty ford and her strong advocacy for women in the administration. s she said the one disappointment she had was she was not able to get a woman on the supreme court. carly here was a housing development there other people appointed to other decisions and armstrong wasn't pointed to the vice presidency. i want to take a different

take on this. she is in company with the chief white house photographer. what she isn't't doing is she is taking a tour of the white house and she is meeting with staff, as many as she can find, thanking them for having made the white house her home. having who welcomed her the people's house and making it her home over the past two and half years. it recalls something gerald ford did on his first state in the white house. for two weeks he commuted from his home in alexandria is the nixon material was being taken out of the residence of the white house. the first day the moving dan comes up he jumps out of the van walks up to the north entrance of the white house were a marine guard is standing at attention, m he sticks out his hand to the

marine, shakes his hand and said hi i'm gerry board i'm going to be living here for a while, what is your name? that is just ford. those qualities he brought with him from grand rapids, he learned with his parents crafted him on capitol hill the constituent he placed so much emphasis on. people criticized him for continuing to be a congressman while he was president. those congressional properties we ought notl overlooked because they served him so wellin dealing with the people while he was president. also dealing with foreign leaders and others. that personal quality both he and betty shared an appreciation for the common folk. so patrick that is the presentation hobo did not go long. >> and no, fantastic. you've covered a lot of ground as we say. we have a few questions that have come in. i want to encourage folks to

use the youtube chat to ask your questionsns there. i want to welcome folks all of the country, savannah georgia,ou folks from alexander, d.c., delaware, michigan, ohio, cherry hill, new jersey, colorado, california, riverview florida, connecticut , flex a lot of joy ford fans out there which is fantastic. although it let me start out where the questions are getting in the queue here. let me start out with something we have been talking about in a lot of these conversations with the presidential library. with a a series on first ladies wen have been doing. it is about legacy. obviously over the last year the country has really been looking at the legacy of our founders and how people are looking through a different lens and now. and so, can you talk a little bit, you've had a fairly long career at the ford museum

about how his legacy has change for maybe when he first came out of office as a lens we look there now? you mention a mccullough quote. i am curious about your take on his legacy? >> it is growing. i think it really began to change with the attention mccullough shine on him if briefly. the thin after his passing, he passed away december 26, of 2006. over that holiday, the remainder of the holiday we had his funeral, his body lay in state at the capitol, and the services in california, and washington d.c., and grand rapids. the television coverage of that. i think the outpouring that grand rapids gave him when he arrived, when the caskets

arrived in the lay in state at the museum for 17 hours overnight, thousands and thousands of people lined up, stood in line for hours and hours to pay their respects to him. the cameras rolled, showed that, talked about this town to grand rapids. he lived for 30 years in his post- presidency. that is respects long enough to be forgotten. people recalled. it also called them is david groner wrote about ford after he left office, he was the kind of person we wanted as president but did not know we had. and i think that has sort of varnished his image and helped his legacy. he is a pivotal president.

he begins a d regulation. we often credit that to carter and reagan rightfully, even george bush. but it began in the ford white house. it's sort of the fdr legacy. so it telecommunications, the regulation of telecommunications, of transportation, of thee airlines, this begins in the fordon administration and is carried forward through the remainder of the 1970s covid 1980s and into the 1990s. so in a number of ways. what we need are more biographies off ford. i'll just throw a plug out there, i think we can anticipate next year richard norton smith publishing a lengthy biography of gerald ford which should come out hopefully in the summer of next year.

>> terrific. starting to get a few questions in pretty want to make sure we get a chance to answer some of them. the ford family is a common question we get, we have the presidential every folksong, are thepr family members involved withve the library, the museum and if so how? >> they are. they got more involved with course after president ford passed awaysi and then after mrs. ford passed away in 2011. marty allen, been the longtime chairman of the gerald r ford foundation stepped down about that time. jack ford became the chairman of the ford foundation with activities at the library and museum for about three years. and then steve ford took up that mantle for a while. jack ford i'm sorry, mike ford is the chairman right now.

susan plays an important part. she was a sponsor of the uss gerald r ford. she is active and many of the programs we have, exhibits that we do, they and the foundation have been very supportive of the library and the museum and exhibits, programs and digitization also. >> you touched about betty ford's, obviously the cancer experience. in that museum itself, do you talk about that and obviously later on the addiction connection, what kind of narrative do you have in the museum about betty ford? >> we are fortunate to have a first lady he was so open, as open as betty ford was who is willing to talk about the problems. as she said i assume if i am having these problems others arele having these problems also and they might benefit from that. we renovated the core exhibits

last in 2016 and increased betty ford's footprint in that. and so we talked a great deal about d her advocacy on behalf of women's rights, the equal rights amendment, breast cancer, the betty ford clinic in her first post first ladyship. her advocacy for the arts and particularly american art and dance. but also, her advocacy for children who are suffering health problems, mental problems, handicapped children. when she first came to washington she adopted the hospital for sick children which is just outside of d.c. she stayed with that throughout that's our time in washington. it hearkened back to a hospital here in grand rapids

her mother was an important part of. she worked at herself, that is been a long ongoing concern for mrs. ford. we talked quite a bit about her. not as much as we would like to put as much as space allows. >> sure. you talk a little bit about his role in congress. could you talk a little bit about relations, it's a two-part question i'll let you answer it in whatever order you prefer. his relationship with ronald reagan he beats him it loses to carter and reagan takes another shot at it and ends up awaiting and going to terms. i'm curious about that the interpersonal relationship there. and then, you talk about congress and obviously with a deregulation and so forth. i read somewhere in preparation for this that he vetoed 66 pieces of democratic legislation because he disagrees the fiscal approach,

seems like a large number of these days. can you sort of talk about his relation with congress? >> perhaps i can answer that part in unison, those two questions in unison. ronald reagan hammered ford, for this a ballooning budget on capitol hill as he made a bid to unseat ford in the primary in 1976. ford was left scratching his head saying imagine how big it would have been if i had not be towed all of those bills, he had vetoed 66 bills while he was president. it was the one effective means he had for exercising some control over what was a democrat capitol hill with strong majorities in the house w

and the senate. it was also a time when there is a greater mix among democrats, southern democrats and northern democrats were quite different. imagine the ways he could craft blocks, either effective minorities or majority positions on capitol hill. even among democrats. he did not know reagan that well. ronald reagan had been governor of california. ford, on capitol hill did not mix that much with governors reagan had read in 1968 and had come close andme considered himself next in line. it was his term. in ford was in the way. ford had come to this office in an odd sort of way.

ford had hoped that he could persuade reagan to not run against him. in that same month mrs. ford later that month left to california later that, have dinner with them mrs. ford wrote later after they left that dinner there both convinced ronald reagan was going too run. there was in that primary. there are strong indications he might pick gerald ford as his vice president.

news headline headline in thedl chicago newspaper telling that very thing ford was supportive of reagan more than his eight years in the white house. >> a couple more questions from a q&a here. can you talk a little bit more about his role and participation in the warren commission? if you tally up the amount of time each of the seven commissioners gave to the warren commission, no one is going to top earl warren. he gets the most amount of time. ford is a close second period some a controversy will pick. ford had a relationship with the fbi. there were those who had the allegation ford was the mouth, ears, eyes for the fbi on that

commission, there is nothing of that there is no evidence of that. ford and earl warren flew to dallas to question jack ruby after jack had killed oswald. at length.ned him they met with mrs. oswald and marguerite, also m his mother. he did a lot of work he produced a book and he wrote a book. i think it came out in 1966 called portrait of the assassin, all's well. he believed in the conclusions of the warren commission published. he helps shape those

conclusions, crafting the language that said there is no evidence of participation of collusion of any players. it indicates oswald is a loan a session they believed oswald toto be the lone session. it's also open with those critics and i heard them say on any number of occasions, if you have evidence, bringoc it forward. we are still willing to consider it. but in the absence of any other evidence the conclusion stands . >> terrific. ms. events took a couple more in here before we have to wrap up. can you talk to us about why did he dump rockefeller in vp and 70? >> a toughgh decision. ford made principal decisions

but called for political decisions. decisions that have political calculus behind them. that was one of them. he wrote himself hehe wished he had stood up to the ripening of the republican party. and you need to accept that. he and rockefeller had a meeting in the oval office discussing the obvious problem that the polls revealed. with rockefeller there's a good chance ford is going to lose the primary. and rockefeller said if you want my resignation, as ford remembered if you want my resignation, you willai have it. ford said it would be easier if i had it. so rockefeller bowed out of the ticket. it's interesting, as a

convention in kansas city approach, reagan's a big stumble was over the vice presidency w as well when he selected schweiger and made that announcement before the convention and that was his undoing. >> sir, let me give you a chance to answer questions that come through you teased it earlier about the actual facilities, why are they in two different sites? >> ford moving to leadership in 1964 is the minority leader in congress. he struck an agreement with his alma mater to house his papers pretty began archiving his papers at the university of michigan. that continued to the rest of his time as a congressman. when he became vice president he extended his agreement as vice presidential papers as

well. but then he becomes president now they can build a presidential library. wants to keep his commitment to the university of michigan so he builds his they are. to us to do something in his hometown in the fifth district in west michigan so he built his museum over there. >> sort of breaks up synergy of the staff. it is that good bipartisan position. where it is actually put into effect. does present challenges hoping to see the museum we do labor

with that split facility. >> i got to last questions here. we'll throw something up on the screen your reference his football high school and college paralysis. as you are well aware there is a document we have zoom in of this offering to play for the packers. i did a littleck research, they did good in the t late 30s early 40s. the liens were in the middle of the bears always, he had three offers with top clubs and i guess the nfl. i'm curious if you would have went at the lines of that a shot of the packers? >> i'm sure they would've. [laughter] of course they would have.

who's not an all-american, gerald ford wasn't britt he was an all-star. he was selected to play in the east/west shrine gabe in san francisco. he takes the train out there and practice along the way. all these nfl team owners and coaches were on the train with these all-american all-star players. no one is paying any attention to it. with his luck the center the first couple of snaps damages his knee has to come out and ford plays the rest of the game it does a stellar job of it. lambeau and others are seated next to ford to get him to sign on the dotted line. he puts them off and eventually turns them down because he goes too yale. he goes to yelp without

promise. which he eventually learns. >> very good. on a another i wanted to bring up chevy chase here so gerald ford is spoofed a little bit on saturday night s live, opting not to show any clips today. >> thank you. >> clumsy and so forth. is that just unfair? is that a hazard of being president being under the microscope? is there any truth to saturday night live take on president ford? >> there is a grain of truth in any caricature, any good character. notha saying chevy chase is good actor caricature. i will say it ford laughed it off. i would also set got under

ford's skin. he was arguably the most accomplished athlete to ever occupy the oval office. as you pointed, three offers to play professional football. he had bad knees because he playedad football but he had an operation on 18 minute operation on theba other knee, he had weaker knees. he had the unfortunate experience of bumping his head on marine one as he was getting out of it. and then hitting somebody with a golf club, a golf ball, you swing the club often if that's going to happen especially people line the fairways. yes, it was unfair. yes it was part of the turf. ford understood it, he had a conference at the library, at the museum. and he invited h chevy chase to it.

so it got a nice picture of him tripping chevy chase. [laughter] >> that is excellent, excellent. this hashi been terrific. i know the audience appreciaten it. we added to the presidential library t series. before we let you go we hopefully will reopen soon and encourage people to visit the website. is there anything you can tell us, assuming all goes well, with health numbers and we reopen but over the fall, or next year, are there anniversaries of the museum are the presidential library is plenty for should put on the calendar? >> keep your eyeye open and your pin ready to write these things down. in september of this year as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the library and museum. we'll see how we are able to do that. we are hoping we can do that. god willing we will.

but also, we are moving into schedule 2022 the 50th anniversary of the break-in at the watergate hotel and the 50th anniversaries off the ford administration rolling out. i know theow foundation is focusing closely on making the most of those opportunities that are climbing up. ii would say stay tuned you will see things roll out at the ford presidency anniversaries are coming up that's good for the presidential library. thank you for your time today and insights, your contributions. >> we can generate look back at the ford administration on the weekly series the presidency. which highlights the politics, policies and legacies of u.s.

presidents and first ladies. up next the gerald r ford presidential foundation honoring betty ford. she became first lady in august 9 covid 1974 when her husband took the oath of office following president nixon's resignation. then skate historian and mrs. ford's daughter susan ford bales. >> thank you and welcome everyone.yo today, w many people called washington a swamp. the site was picked, while it really was a swamp it certainly was not a garden of eden. jonathan, what is it about that site that would shock people today if they were to visit the area around the white house as it existed back in the 1700s? >> that is a really good