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President Ford's Official Portrait. Photo source.
From the Team's Captain to the Nation's Captain
From the Team's Captain to the Nation's Captain
By: Louden Fuchs
From the Atlantic to the Pacific, people know about the prestigious school in Ann Arbor, Michigan. However, not many know that one of our nation’s presidents went to the University of Michigan, which today, even holds a $4.3 million dollar library dedicated to his name ("Ford Library").
Gerald Ford attended UM between 1931-1935, where he was a superstar in the classroom, and on the football field. Ford, who was a generational talent at the center position, turned down NFL offers in order to further his academic career at Yale Law School, following graduation from the university ("Ford Biography"). After serving in the military and holding various roles within our democracy, Ford eventually found his way to the presidency ("Ford Biography").
Ford’s journey to becoming our nation’s leader was anything but conventional. After many failed attempts to become Speaker of the House, Ford was named vice president in 1973 “when scandals forced Richard Nixon's vice president, Spiro Agnew, to resign” (Will). Then President Nixon, who was an ally of Ford, elected him to become the country’s new Vice President. Shortly after his new promotion, Nixon resigned due to the Watergate scandal, leading Ford to be promoted in August of 1974 to the presidency ("Ford Biography").
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Photo source.
Ford accomplished many things during his brief, yet controversial time as president, with most of the controversy streaming from his pardoning of Nixon with his involvement in the Watergate scandal (Olson). Ford’s main accomplishments in office were cutting inflation, decreasing unemployment, and strengthening the United State’s alliance with the then-recovering country of Japan ("Ford Biography").
After leaving office in 1976, Ford maintained a public presence by lecturing at universities, attending conferences, and even forming a foundation that brought together world and business leaders to discuss the state of our world ("Ford Biography"). Despite his busy schedule, Ford did not forget to give time to his alma mater.
His presidential library was opened on the UM campus in 1981. This library holds documents related to the Cold War era and the Ford presidency ("Ford Library"). Since its dedication, Ford has stopped by numerous times to hold conferences on “Congress, the presidency and foreign policy; Soviet-American relations; German reunification, the Atlantic Alliance, and the future of American foreign policy; national security requirements for the ‘90s; humor and the presidency; and the role of First Ladies” ("Ford Biography"). While holding his classes and conferences, Ford recommended that his students would forget his previous title, and just think of him as a professor. We can see this normality through a former student of his, Catherine Shaw when she states, “To me he was just Jerry Ford” (Clarke). He lectured on campus up until he died in 2006.
The Ford Library "is part of the Presidential libraries system of the National Archives and Records Administration, a Federal agency. Unlike other Presidential libraries, the Ford library’s library and museum components are geographically separate," according to the library's website, with the museum being located in Ford's adopted hometown of Grand Rapids. (He was born in Nebraska.)
Although Gerald was not related to the also Michigan-based automotive giant Henry Ford (who was from Springwells Township, Michigan), the meaning behind the former president's name is just as interesting (Pruitt). “Gerald” as reported by Nameberry.com means “ruler with the spear;” and “Ford” means “river crossing,” according to TheBump.com. The combination of the two names foreshadows a man who spearheaded the country while crossing a “river” between parties to help better the nation.
The man behind the Gerald R. Ford Library was an individual who, through unlikely circumstances, acquired the position at the head of our democracy. The building’s name not only displays his hard work at the university but his dedication to bettering the world post-graduation and his gratitude towards his alma mater.
Works Cited
Clarke, Kim. “Professor Ford.” University of Michigan Heritage Project, https://heritage.umich.edu/stories/professor-ford/ . Accessed 29 November 2022.
“Ford.” theBump, https://www.thebump.com/b/ford-baby-name. Accessed 15 November 2022.
“Gerald R. Ford Biography.” Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum, https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/grf/fordbiop.asp. Accessed 15 November 2022.
“Gerald R. Ford Library.” Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum, https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/visit-library.aspx. Accessed 4 December 2022.
“Gerald Origin and Meaning.” Nameberry, https://nameberry.com/babyname/gerald. Accessed 15 November 2022.
Olson, Keith W. “Barry Werth. 31 Days: Gerald Ford, the Nixon Pardon, and a Government in Crisis.” Michigan Historical Review, vol. 34, no. 2, Clarke Historical Library, pp. 164-. https://go-gale-com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=umuser&id=GALE%7CA194330848&v=2.1&it=r.
Pruitt, Sarah. “9 Things You May Not Know About Gerald Ford.” History, https://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-gerald-ford. Accessed 29 November 22.
Will, George F. “Gerald Ford: Our Normal President.” The Washington Post, Washington, D.C: WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2048871219?parentSessionId=2YNtTx4RrGSi0UysO1G7bQZpVbn1PWmw9G%2F8NobH%2FxQ%3D&pq-origsite=primo&accountid=14667.
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