Honesty, integrity and humility were hallmarks of Gerald R. Ford's presidency, according to members of the MSU community who knew him best.
The 38th president died Dec. 26 at his home. The 93-year-old was laid to rest at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in his hometown of Grand Rapids.
"He knew his own mind"
Former MSU President M. Peter McPherson was a member of Ford's cabinet as a special assistant to Ford and Deputy Director of the Presidential Personnel Office from March 1975 to January 1977. McPherson conducted interviews for governmental jobs and recommended job candidates to Ford.
"In all of the discussions in the past few days about Ford, I never hear how knowledgeable, how a really smart president Ford was," he said. "He often knew a great deal about the justice department or the state."
McPherson added that the 38th president "made up his own mind on things."
"I remember a time where my boss and (Dick) Cheney, who was chief of staff of the White House, and I had done the research, and I argued to my boss and Cheney that this guy should not be appointed," McPherson said laughing. "We took it to the president, and we knew it wasn't an easy case. So I was the guy who gave the case to appoint something, and Cheney and my boss said, 'We agreed this is what you ought to do Mr. President' and I remember the president saying, 'Well, we're not gonna do that.'
"He knew his own mind."
"Maury, nothing has changed"
Maury DeJonge, a former Grand Rapids Press reporter who covered Ford for 28 years, said he was an unusual man.
"He was unusually good, unusually honest and unusually courageous," he said. "I can't find enough adjectives to brag about Gerry Ford. We're gonna miss him. Deep down, I cried."
It didn't matter what political office Ford was in, he treated everyone with decency and respect.
"(The presidency) was so different than when he was in Congress," he said. "When I walked in his office, he got up from his desk, and I said, 'Gerry this is so different.' He shook my hand and goes, 'Maury, nothing has changed.' And that's how he was. I don't care if he was a first-year congressman or president of the United States, his old friends continued to be his good friends until he died."
In 1979, DeJonge conducted an interview with Ford on his terms — meaning it could only be released after his death. The first part of the interview was published in the Grand Rapids Press. The second part will be published in the near future.
DeJounge said Ford was friendly and quick with his loud, boisterous laughter.
"I can still hear his laugh," he said.
"Big brother"
Peter Secchia, the former U.S. ambassador to Italy, remembers flying into Grand Rapids aboard Air Force One as the presidential plane carried Ford's casket to its final destination Wednesday.
"He's been a friend of mine for 40 years," said Secchia, who graduated from MSU in 1963 with an economics degree. "I loved him as a big brother, and (he) became a close, personal friend.
"He was always there when we needed him."
Secchia worked with Ford when he was in Congress. He currently serves as an executive committee member of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation and oversees the museum in Grand Rapids and the Gerald R. Ford Library in Ann Arbor.
"It just continued for days, every street we took downtown, there were just thousands and thousands of people," Secchia said. "We had 57,000 people who passed the casket. It was a very wonderful show of support and outpouring of love.
"On the expressway, the cars going the other direction stopped on the side of the road and waved at the casket as we drove by. It was an incredible amount of respect."
On the way to the museum, where Ford's casket is now resting, Secchia said he was overwhelmed with thoughts and fond memories of the president.
"I couldn't help thinking in the car that the man who completed his performance couldn't hear the applause," he said. "It was deafening and unbelievable. I was very proud of my community."
