Books and authors. Funding for cspan 2 comes from these companies and more, including charter communications. Lets started does not make covid seem like a very distant memory. This is great to be back again with all you and you know, just to be able to talk to so many lets get started. Does this not make covid seem like a very distant memory . Its great to be back again with all of you, and, you know, just to be able to talk to so many friends. Well, i am just delighted to greet you, and the audience in grand rapid, michigan, as well as our cspan audience everywhere. Im executive director of the gerald r. Ford president ial foundation, and it is my honor to be your host, along with a lot of other good people today and to welcome you to our 2023 edition of americas first ladies luncheon. This years event is centered around a theme. Its first ladies pat nixon and betty ford, lives of leadership, courage and grace, three great words to describe these remarkable women. Our foundations longrunning first lady series is the brainchild of the first daughter, susan ford bales whos here with us from texas. Susan, thank you so much for your dedication all these years. [ applause ] and joining susan are a number of special guests. So id like you to hold your applause until the end, please. President mrs. Nixons sonin law, ed cox, is with us. He joins us in lieu of his son, christopher, who was originally on the program but could not make it today. And we have ms. Nixons and mrs. Fords chief communication strategist, patty matson, thank you so much for being here. Leaders and Board Members of the White House Historical association, among whom are Anita Mcbride who is a familiar face to this event and also dr. Colleen showingon who is president obamas nominee to become the 11th archivist of the United States. We hope you get all the way through that senate process. Also trustees of the gerald r. Ford president ial foundation who, in addition to susan who are here, include tina freeze decker, david hooker and fred keller. The director of the ford president ial library and museum, brooke, brook clement, is with us also. And west michigans veteran political reporter rick alban is with us. Lets give all these distinguished guests a hand. [ applause ] i also want to thank the many, many generous donors, the sponsors who made this luncheon possible. Again, please hold your applause, our premier sponsor, once again, fifth third bank, our table sponsors, steve and amy van andle foundation, blue cross, blue shield, Blue Care Network of michigan and the seco Family Foundation are the principal table sponsors. And i want to point out that joan secia, the wife of the late ambassador, peter, is here with us. Thank you so much for being here. [ applause ] there are many additional sponsors who are listed on the back of your program, and we appreciate and thank you all. Well, id now like to invite reverend lynette sparks, Senior Pastor at Westminster Presbyterian church to come forward and offer a benediction, an invocation. Thank you. Thank you, glieves. And to all of you at the gerald r. Ford foundation for the invitation to participate today. So as we begin, i invite you to join me in prayer. Holy and almighty one, source of all that is good and noble and gracious, you gather your people together in communities for mutual support and for pursuit of the common good. And we come to this gathering thankful for the community assembled here today. We come with gratitude for all those who have committed their lives to Public Service and to the betterment of our city, our state and our nation. And today we come especially thankful for the lives of first ladies, pat nixon and betty ford, and for the ways that they modeled leadership, courage and grace to their families, to their loved ones, to our country and to the world. We are grateful for the presence of susan ford bales, for ed cox, patty matson and rick alban and ask your blessing upon them as they reflect on the lives of these first ladies. And as we remember their legacies today, help us all to take to heart the lessons from their lives, inspire us to live our own lives with integrity, honesty and courage. Give us the will to combine our gifts and abilities, to put aside all that would divide us and to work hand in hand toward the flourishing of all people. And we give thanks for all who have made todays gathering possible, for the meal we are about to share and for all who have had a part in preparing it and bringing it to our tables, and through it, strengthen us for service to one another and to all the citizens of the world. We offer these prayers in all the holy names of god, amen. Not too subtle, is it . Not too subtle that were about to begin the Proper Program here. Well, its that time of year again, three weeks after betty fords birthday and her namesake, daylilies are popping up in the beautiful gardens outside of our gerald r. Ford president ial museum. Also this spring has seen the publication of Richard Norton smiths much heralded biography, an ordinary man, which, by the way, is an ironic title, which reveals a number of surprises about president ford, his private life and his historic presidency. Now, once you delve into the book, you realize that a good sequel to an ordinary man would be an extraordinary woman. And, of course, im referring to betty ford. And that title would also apply to pat nixon. Well, for these two remarkable women who became friends, who encouraged each other to live their best lives in the Pressure Cooker of public life, in the glare of the white house, well, with us to give deeper insight into pat nixon and betty ford, we have some distinguished people on this stage, susan ford bales, only daughter of president and mrs. Ford. Susan is the sponsor of the Aircraft Carrier u. S. S. Gerald r. She is the sponsor of the ship, susan was made a honorary naval aviator by the United States navy, only the 31st american ever to receive this distinction. And the first woman ever to be so honored. She is the recipient of three honorary doctorates, the author of two novels set in the white house. I am waiting for those novels to get on tv. Netflix. We need to clean up netflix a little bit. Ed cox, soninlaw of president and mrs. Nixon. They held a joint program, i figured it out, 12 years ago. 2011. We were at the ford museum and it featured him talking about what it is like to work with president s as he has worked with four of them as a corporate lawyer, finance lawyer, and he and tricia nixon , they met in new york at a class thats in 1963 when they were seniors in high school. They married eight years later, the famous marriage in the rose garden we are all familiar with. They just celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2021. Congratulations. Patty madsen worked with mrs. Nixon and mrs. Ford, assistant prosecutor and speechwriter in the White House Office of the first lady. During the ford administration, the Nixon Administration, she traveled extensively domestically and internationally. She later worked at Abc Television for 25 years, including a Senior Vice President of the medications. Last but not least, the conversation will be moderated by rick, veteran political reporter come along associated with book tv, which as given him the platform to talk about this and he has interviewed every president since president ford. Please join me in expressing appreciation for a great panel. Thank you and good afternoon, everyone. I take a quick moment to thank the foundation as they have been inviting me to be a part of the special event and this one will be extraordinary after listening to the conversations we have had since i have been here. A special thanks to the ford family who have allowed me to do things most reporters do not get a chance to do, and particularly to susan who we have spent so much time together between the ship and some of these events. Great when youre back in town and nice to have you all here. I want you to think about these two remarkable women, we know them and can think of the high points. Think about what they did, how they did it, and when they did it. Think of this title, lives of leadership, courage, and grace. Both of these women had distinct examples, all three of those wonderful traits. Think about being a relatively young mother in the 1950s when women did not have the same, for lack of a better word, privileges that are extended now. You didnt just go out and become that kind of a strong voice unless you came from a very strong place. These two families were linked in so many ways. Susan, i will start with you as we had a Conference Call earlier. I had never thought about it but back to congressional days, the type of mr. Nixon being Vice President , your father being in congress, the obvious choice of Vice President and then ascending to the presidency. Talk about your mother and her relationship with mrs. Nixon and how your families were intertwined. President nixon was a congressman when my father became a young congressman in 1948. That relationship and friendship began at that time. President nixon welcomed my father, helped him find his way, all those things as a young, new congressman. Mrs. Nixon , back in the day, coming up on 50 years of all of this, because she was the Vice President s wife, she became head of the Senate Wives Club that was part of your job. My mother and pat worked together, they did fashion shows, they rolled bandages, it was an active group. When you think about the two similarities, did they keep in close contact after the white house . They did. That was one of the things i remember my dad visiting president nixon after he had surgery. My father left out of it and left to go visit him in the hospital when he was very sick. My mother was close to pat. They had been through so much together. Just like my mother became good friends with nancy reagan. Only so many people who have been in the fishbowl and understand where you are coming from. They became dear friends. Lady bird was another one who was a dear friend. Talk about pat nixon and how multifaceted she was from promoting volunteerism, really being on the early edge of focusing on reading and the importance of that. But she also traveled with the Vice President and president. She was a bona fide world traveler. Smart yes, she was. As Vice President , she traveled to 53 countries, excuse me, with the Vice President , traveled to 53 countries, the first a trip all around the world after president eisenhower asked him to take the trip. They went with a couple secret Service Agents and one aid. That was it. They went to allies in east asia , allies in south asia, in the mideast, europe. And there were customs. Women had to do what is necessary to address according to norms. But they did it on their own. It was quite extraordinary. She was brought up working. Just to get through college, she went to the university of southern california. She had nine different jobs from sweeping the floor of a bank to being an extra in a hollywood film. Her brothers, on the other hand , have football scholarships. Why shouldnt women have scholarships, too . President nixon past title ix which makes women sports equals to men sports. Her mother passed when she was 13, 14 years old, her father 17 years old. She took care of him. They had a small farm, exactly. One more note, i bet all of this and it was making my head spin. Shortly after her father passed , she graduated from high school , some relatives wanted her to go to new york city and she drove them. She did like to travel. She took a job that did not pay very much to take these two elderly people in an old car and drive across the country to new york city. She found a job there as a secretary she could touch type and do stenography. She spent a year in new york city before she went back to california. That was her first real trip. She liked to travel. In traveling, she liked to communicate with ordinary people wherever she went. On her tombstone at the Nixon Library , i paraphrased a little bit, but, while you may not speak the same language, you always know if you have love in your heart. That is the way she liked to communicate wherever she traveled. Not go to the big fancy things but to go out and meet the people, even if they didnt speak the language, she could communicate with them. You work with both women. You were talking about these great experiences. I will let you start. I dont want to choose a particular story because they are all charming. They are very indicative of the kind of women they both were. You described both of them as kind. It is a trait not listed but one implied. It has really struck me in preparing for this and rereading a lot of the things that i was involved in. The main thing they both had was this great mp3 great empathy for my people and kindness. They faced their jobs and the responsibilities, but you always since that in them. A lot of the things that they did were really because they understood how much it meant to people to have any kind of contact with the white house. It affected mrs. Nixons revamping and having the white house available to so many more people. From international people, brochures were in several languages, and she was continually thinking about things that could make the experience more memorable and meaningful to people. Most important to her where the volunteers who came. That is what she focused on, people giving back to the community, she wanted them to come to the white house. A little boy came to the white house, they say, i dont believe you live here, where is your washing machine . [ laughter ] she showed the little boy where the washing machine was in the white house. The other thing they had in common was their sense of humor. Mrs. Ford, she loved to have a good time, as well. She was always seeing the humor in everything. In her quiet, elegant way, mrs. Nixon did the same thing. Their personalities would seem to be different but they both had that humor and kindness. Susan, i want to talk about a moment that showed grace and courage with your mother. It happened, never a good time for any diagnosis, but at such a Pivotal Moment in your familys life, you just moved into the white house and your mother got a diagnosis of Breast Cancer. If we were doing this panel 50 years ago, i would not have said Breast Cancer because you did not say that in public. She could have, others would have, kept it as quiet as possible had people who do communications gloss over it. She had people taking pictures of her after her surgery in the hospital. The first lady of the United States. Speak to me about what that was like for her knowing she had just taking on the role of the first lady of the United States and now is literally battling for her life. I was at the lbj library last week and lucy and i were talking, she and her mother came to visit that day, as mother was leaving that afternoon or evening to check her into bethesda. Lucy said, i dont know why your mother just didnt have somebody else let us see the white house. It is a privilege to go back to the house and see the house after you have left. I have only been back once and been allowed to go upstairs to my bedroom and see my bedroom and what it looks like now. Who knows what it looks like now. You do not normally get to go upstairs into the family quarters. We were living lucy and linda see their old rooms and all of that. They were not aware that mother was going to bethesda Naval Hospital that afternoon. I am sure patty was involved with writing the press release. She said, your mother was so gracious, and i said, lucy, you now know how special it is to go back to the house. Why would my mother take that away from you and linda and her mother . It is a unique experience. Because my mother and lady bird were also dear friends and had worked their husbands had worked together for years and years. What was it like as he tried to get a handle on what your life would like, what your mothers life would be like, having these two big events happen very close in proximity to each other . How tough was it for her to grasp the role of first lady while she is still obviously having very Serious Health issues . It is interesting. I worked my first job ever for the White House Historical association. Selling guidebooks. To the tourists who came through. That was my first job. I knew, when the nixons were inhouse, the screen was up, so you couldnt go to the west wing. If they were inhouse or out of house, you knew that. When we moved in, 10 days later , because of julie and david were packing her things and getting them moved. I was cocky, let just say that, i worked here, let me show you how it was. But lets also remember i was 17. Lets put it in perspective. Anyway, my mother was extremely gracious because she had been to the white house many times. She was there during the kennedy administration. We went to church when the nixons what have Church Services on sunday. The transition from being a Vice President s wife to a president s wife, it was a matter of housing because we were still living in alexandria, it was upgraded housing for sure. I want to ask you about the converse. 10 days earlier, you were standing beside the first lady and the president as he spoke to you and the rest of the white house staff before he walked out on that famous shot and got on the helicopter. Flew out to air force one. You accompanied him on that flight. That was a moment that had to be particularly difficult for everyone but how did the first lady navigate a moment like that . That question was raised by steve ball, who organized the event, he asked me, should the family be there with the president . Of course, i thought of mrs. Nixon and she has always been there with him. Whether it was the crisis where he was not sure what he would do and she said, go fight it, dick, he did and won. She was there in the tough moments and she was a real fighter. For her not to be there would have not been right. Steve was asking, could she control her emotions . Yes, no doubt about it, she was that type of person. It was the night before. The president asked me to be in the lincoln sitting room with him as he prepared his speech. He was very calm. Asked me to get a book, the quote he is from Teddy Roosevelt and his past wife. I brought that book with me to that. We got on the helicopter. Your parents accompanied us, julie and david stayed behind. We went to san clemente with the president and mrs. Nixon. As we passed by the Washington Monument , the president was there, i am here, mrs. Nixon is next to him , but what do you say as you are going by on marine one . I said, mr. President , in 10 years, you will be back. That is the kind of people they were, fighters. Tenure leaders, by order of Catherine Graham who heard him give a speech, he was on the cover of newsweek saying, i am back. Everyone wanted his advice and mrs. Nixon was a part of that. Your take as a young staffer at that Pivotal Moment. Before that, something much happier. You talked about mrs. Nixon loving to have one on one time with people and looked him in the eye to make them understand , not her important but the importance of the office and the presidency, and the first lady. How many have you had taken a tour of the white house . Many of us. We should have done it during the Nixon Administration , because what would she do when there were tours . In the last months when they were not traveling so much, she was able to be there and be a hostess to people who wanted to come. With the womens groups who would come, she would stand there, three and four times per week, she would greet them at the door, she would look them in the eye, talk to them, shake their hand, everybody left walking on air. You know that those people still have that as a memory of a highlight of their lives. She understood how much it meant to people to have a sense of the kinds of people who run the country and who are in the white house. She also was known because she got so much mail. Do you remember . It was piled up outside of her door for her to write her replies and she did it personally. She never allowed anybody else to sign the letters. She understood what mail meant to people and made sure everything was answered. What Government Agencies do you go to, you cannot believe both the volume and the amount of time they took, because she understood what it meant to people to have that kind of relationship. Susan, being in the white house, the first lady, a congressional wife in the 1950s , having all of that pressure, your mother did not lose her sense of humor. The picture of her standing on the cabinet room table, it is one of my favorites. How did she cope with the kind of pressure . It is not an easy place to live. There is a lot going on. And what i read and what i see, she always seemed to be up and trying to get others to be the same. The picture i saw day after the election, your father lost, the entire family standing in the oval office, she tried to get jack to smile. She is physically trying to get him to smile because people were not happy. She wanted people to feel better. She was quite the prankster. She loved a good prank. Some of that comes from having two older brothers and three boys. And then she got me. You had to roll with the punches. My dad was gone probably 200 something days per year and you just learned to roll with the punches. But we were always doing pranks at the white house. That was mandatory. To keep spirits up. Inflation was this. I remember the picture of him wearing a scarf on christmas. You are so beaten down living there, by the press and the american public, the numbers are up one day, down the next, you have to laugh. My mother was a great prankster and love to be involved in a prank. I am sure you were a part of a prank or two along the way. My mother was one of those that i was shown a picture last night at dinner, what birthday was it for you . 30. She hasnt changed a bit. My mother honored and respected her staff who worked for her. They became part of the family. Because they are insiders and they know you can trust them and they will not talk. I am sure ed could say the same about the staff of president and mrs. Nixon. Tell the story of your 30th birthday. Mrs. Ford reconnected with the famous woman who had taught her how to dance. Dancing was an important part of her life when she was young. We went to new york, her escort was woody allen, who was in a tuxedo with tennis shoes. It was her reuniting with martha graham. We have had a wonderful weekend up there. They had given us a little airplane to come in. We were sitting there going over the day and how much fun it had been. In walks, at that part of the airplane, this cake. It was my 30th birthday and i didnt know anybody knew it was my 30th birthday. It was such a sweet surprise, this beautiful cake with candles. That is how i celebrated my 30th birthday. This is my least favorite thing when it comes to these. We are almost out of time. I could sit here the rest of the afternoon but i know you have schedules and i will make sure we stay with them. I will go to each of you, and this is a challenge, try to tell me something about mrs. Nixon that nobody else in this room knows. You have two chances. She was a wonderful mother inlaw to me. We were married in 1971. In 1972 i graduated from law school. You were required, to practice law, to take the bar exam. The law school i went to, harvard, does not get you ready to do that. Mrs. Nixon understood that, perhaps from her husband. She made available to me in the solarium of the white house, set it up for me so i could study nonstop for the six week sprint you would do to cram in order to pass the bar exam. That was very kind of her to do that. And to think of my predicament and what i had to do. By the way, failing was not an option. She was that thoughtful, a wonderful motherinlaw. Great story. What dont we know that you know about either of these great first ladies . With mrs. Nixon , people dont understand, one of the things that made her so effective was that she had worked. She started working, you mentioned a couple things, she worked in a hospital for two years. It meant that, when she came to the white house, she knew how to get things done. That was what drove her ability to bring more people into the white house and all of these other things. She never wanted any publicity for herself. Most people do not understand how much she was responsible for. I regret that. But she really did it on behalf of the nixon what would you say . The nixon community. She wanted people to understand the government was doing something for them. Susan, i apologize, we didnt talk about the leadership and courage your mother showed after she left the white house, specifically to substance abuse, it is well documented and worth noting. What is something about your mother we do not know . She was a spanker, i can attest to that. I know you cannot do that anymore. My parents were horrible drivers. Horrible drivers. I was never so happy as for them to get secret service and not be driving anymore. [ laughter ] and on that note, we will end. Thank you all. I do want to thank the ford president ial foundation for putting a spotlight on mrs. Nixon. She never really wanted the recognition but she was the kind of first lady who deserves it. Thank you very much. It is very much appreciated on behalf of the nixon family. Thank you. [ applause ] ed, since we are passing out thanks, i never like to leave without saying thank you to the people who work hard behind the scenes to make Something Like this happen. I wanted to the wonderful staff of the Gerald R Ford president ial foundation for all they did to pull off a big event like this. Months and months of planning. Also, the people at the jw who prepared the meal and served, thank you for all you did to make this a great event. [ applause ] of course, we thank you, the four panelists who did an exceptional job of humanizing was a waffen is in a history book or a textbook. Or a clip on the history channel. You got behind the scenes and underneath the exterior of these wonderful people and humanized them for us in a special way and we want to thank you all for bringing your agame today. Nicole, please come forward, we have a gift for each of you. I want to bring susan forward to present a very special gift. Thank you. The white house belongs to the american people, dont ever forget that. But the history of the white house is a national treasure. And the White House Historical association is essential in being the keeper of that white house history. With us today we have several guests from the association. On behalf of the president and my mother, i would like you all to please except stand and accept our boundless gratitude for all that you do every day as the keepers of the white house history. [ applause ] 40 years ago, the White House HistoricalAssociation Began a tradition. Each year, they produced an ornament that pays a tribute to a selective president and his family. This year we honor dad and our familys christmas celebrations, the ornament is wonderful and it portrays special part of our milestones. One of the attributes this year , that meant so much to my father, was the uss gerald r. Ford. To our friends from the White House Historical association, thank you for all you do to preserve the history of americas white house, and please accept my gratitude for this very special 2023 ornament. Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the video about the ornament this year and thank you all very much. The White House Historical association was founded in 1961 to help collect and exhibit artifacts of American Culture at the white house. And open the door to the rich history of the executive mansion. To support these educational efforts, the official White House Christmas ornament program was started in 1981. Each ornament is designed and assembled in the United States by a veteran found the family business. These ornaments honor president s and significant anniversaries in white house history. The official 2023 White House Christmas ornament features president ford. The front of the wreath highlights the White House Christmas decoration themes, which focus on american handcrafts. Turn it around and see emblems reprimanding the legacy of service by president ford, from his time in Boy Scout Troop 15 where he earned the rank of eagle scout to College Years playing football for the university of michigan. After graduating from yale law school, he served in the United States navy during world war ii, achieving the rank of lieutenant commander. One of the last honors my father received six weeks before he passed was the naming of cvn 78, one of the highest honors he ever received. Following his military service, he met elizabeth. They married in 1948 and had four children, michael, john, stephen , and susan. Gerald ford took office on august 9th, 1974 after president nixon resigned. He declared upon taking the oath of office, i am acutely aware you have not elected me as your president by your ballots, so i ask you to confirm me as your president with your prayers. God helping me, i will not let you down. Thank you. During their time in the white house, the family made and celebrated history, such as their participation in the bicentennial, including hosting a state dinner for Queen Elizabeth ii. Although one of the most famous families in the country, the family enjoyed ordinary moments as the president was often photographed with the family golden retriever, liberty. Liberty and my father had a unique relationship. Father taking her to the office and she would just get underneath his desk and made herself at home. Christmas was also a special time to the ford family. The white house was so exceptionally beautiful during christmas. Coming up with the themes, the year of the bicentennial, we did bicentennial ornaments. Mother was very involved in recruiting people to help make those ornaments. The official 2023 White House Christmas ornament helps you create your own white house inspired holiday memories. The ornament this year is so special, when i look at it, it brings back so many things and memories of my white house days. Of my parents, and it will always have a very special place on my tree. Purchased the official white house ornament and help preserve our shared american story for generations to come. Isnt that a beautiful ornament . [ applause ] good afternoon, i am the director of the ford president ial foundation. I am thrilled that each of you will be bringing home an ornament that is a reminder of the ford white house. There is a second gift for you, autographed books, it was written by gigi mcbride and illustrated, published by the White House Historical association. This Childrens Book is based on the real Life Experiences of gigi visiting her mother who worked in the white house during the bush administration. Unfortunately, gigi cannot be here because she is finishing college courses. Anita is here, marilyn carson, kimberly osborne, and colleen shogun. Thank you for joining us today. If you would like to purchase additional ornaments or copies of the book, be sure to visit the White House Historical association website, the online store has many unique gifts for the special people and occasions in your life. Thank you to todays sponsors, fifth third bank, blue cross blue shield, Blue Care Network of michigan, grand valley state university, the center for president ial studies, aquinas college, mary free bed rehabilitation hospital, 13 on your side, bhs insurance, wilcox farms trucking, pioneer construction, and allegra. If you are not a member, consider becoming a member of the ford president ial foundation , we call our members and friends of ford. There are envelopes so you can consider the level of membership, sponsorships and your membership help support the many initiatives of the foundation. Including the Educational Programs of the Devos Learning Center and the ford leadership forum. In addition to activities, not funded by the federal government, temporary exhibits, noted speakers, and Community Events are a few examples of the activities supported by your membership. Please join us at our next event on may 16th with author john lauke, who will be discussing the good country a history of the american midwest. I hope you enjoyed the centerpieces that your tables. Nathan and his team at green envy created the look based on photographs from state dinners during that Nixon Administration. One person at each table will take home a centerpiece. The winner is the person at each table whose birthday is closest to pat nixon , march 16th. Congratulations and thank you for joining us today. Have a wonderful afternoon. [ applause ] weekends on cspan2, an inteectual feast , every saturday American History tv documents america about the story. On sunday, booktv with the latest in nonfiction books and authors. Funding for cspan2 comes from these Television Comedies and more, including cox. Koolen syndrome is extremely rare but friends dont have to be. When you are connected, youre not alone. Cox, with these television companies, support cspan2 as a Public Service. Monday, watch series, books that shaped america where we feature narrative of the life of frederick douglass, written in 1845, the first of three autobiographies by frederick douglass. Deeply personal and sometimes graphic language, he describes his childhood years on the Eastern Shore of maryland. His time as a slave in baltimore and his