A Trip to Vail, Colorado…or Not

A special story I have never told before…

A text snippet from the section called “31 Days Hath September”…

On Sunday, August 10th, I made a special trip up to The White House because I knew that the Ford family was leaving on their annual summer vacation to Vail, Colorado. I wanted to make sure Liberty had a really good run before boarding Marine One for the short flight to Andrews Air Force Base where the president’s plane would ...

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Finally home…but not for long

A text snippet from the ending of one chapter in the section called “31 Days Hath September”…

Toward the end of September the puppies eyes were about to open and they were all nursing well and growing normally. It had been a very difficult month for the Ford family as they each dealt with the two assassination attempts in their own way. Germaine and I felt it was probably time for us to head back to our home in Virginia so ...

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From the Introduction

Here is a snippet of text from the introduction to Inside The White House: Eyewitness To History…

White House photo by Pete Souza

On the evening of November 30, 1974 I stood quietly in a corner of the Rose Garden holding the president’s Golden Retriever, Liberty, on a short leather leash. Only days before I had accepted the volunteer position of Presidential Dog Trainer.

In the distance I began to hear the drone of a heavy helicopter and then what sounded like one ...

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Ford Museum Grand Re-Opening!

June 7, 2016 (Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Grand Rapids, Michigan) —

About a year ago Susan Ford Bales let me know that her dad’s museum in Grand Rapids would be closing for an extended period of time during new construction and for a major re-work of the permanent exhibits. The photo above shows Steve Ford speaking at the museum’s grand re-opening last Tuesday. I am so excited…this is what I have been waiting for!

Now it’s time to “ramp up” my ...

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Cover Design – First Draft

April 6, 2016 (Sun Valley, Idaho) —

It’s been about six months since my last update but this project is still “on track”. The Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan closed last year while they added a new wing and re-worked many of the permanent exhibits that had been in place since the facility first opened in 1981. The re-opening is now scheduled for June 7, 2016. So…it’s time to ramp up my fund-raising campaign again and plan ...

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31 Days Hath September…

September 28, 2015 (Boise, Idaho) —

In 1975 I lived in the White House residence for 31 days…nearly all during the month of September. A chapter in my book that I am currently writing is called “31 Days Hath September”…combining the month, the number of days I lived in the White House (obviously not all in September) and the riddle that many of us learned in school to help remember how many days there are in each month.

September of 1975 was ...

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From the Ford Library…

March 12, 2015 (Sun Valley, Idaho) —

In 2006 I had the opportunity to spend about a week at the Ford Presidential Library on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, with a side trip over to the Museum in Grand Rapids. Most of that time was spent transitioning the work that my friend, David Maria, and I had done involving the redesign of the Library and Museum website…see http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/about-this-site.asp. The site that David and ...

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First Project Update

March 10, 2015 (Sun Valley, Idaho) —

My Springers, Ria and JoJo, and I are just wrapping up a two month stay at our friend’s condo in Sun Valley, Idaho. Many thanks to John Gove and Patsy Huntington for your amazing generosity once again! Your condo has become like a second home for us and we love it!

A main purpose of our Idaho trip this time was to begin to work on a book, tentatively entitled “Inside The White House: Eyewitness ...

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