I Covered President Ford's Funeral

I can't believe that I have forgotten to mention this before now! I looked back over my blogs recently and I was astonished to note that I haven't mentioned that for work on January 2 and 3 I had the honor of covering the Grand Rapids portion of President Ford's funeral. It was an amazing and likely once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a State Funeral an hour away from my home, and to be able to have the chance to write about the event was extrordinary.

We drove up on the day that Air Force One landed in GR. We spent many many hours waiting on the footbridge over the Grand River under the watchful eyes of the Secret Service, Army, National Guard, GR Police and some other organizations that are not quite so open about their names.

Blessedly it was not snowy, but the frigid wind still whipped down the Grand and struck us. Nicely we were able to go to the bathroom and visit the cafe in the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, and we saw the actress from the movie Signs, Cherry Jones. she is one of those actresses whose name you may not remember, but you would know her by sight. She was very gracious when a few people came up to speak to her-- we didn't-- and was there for something entirely unrelated to the funeral; she was in a play.

We stayed for most of the day, and were allowed in behind the scenes upstairs in the museum to photograph the visitation and to have a space to write and reflect. We also stayed rather late to interview the thousands of people waiting in line to visit the flag-draped coffin. The line stretching through downtown GR was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen, as was the attitude of those waiting in line. Nearly everyone was in good spirits and perfectly willing to wait for the 5-7 hours they were told it would take for a few seconds with Grand Rapids First Son.

Someday I will tell you the behind the behind the scenes story, but for now and for the reputation of certain persons I work with, I shall refrain.

Below is the unedited version of my story, and above I pasted in the pic of the page simply so you can see the photograph.

West Michigan’s First Son Home For the Final Time

Community Perspective

The shockingly mild winter that Southwest Michigan has been experiencing has come as an added blessing to the funeral procession for President Gerald R. Ford and the crowds of thousands that gathered through the night and into the morning Tuesday and Wednesday. Some of those who came to pay their last respects were forced to wait in line for 4-6 hours, but for most, it was well worth the wait to show their appreciation for a man who meant so much to the area and to the nation.

The Grand Rapids portion of the state funeral began at approximately 4:30 with the arrival of the motorcade across the Grand River. A brief, private ceremony was held, and shortly thereafter the line began to form of the general public to pass by the casket. Those admitted first were Boy Scouts and former Scouts, in reference to the time that President Ford devoted to the organization and his rank of Eagle Scout.

Soon the line stretched past the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, down several side streets and through DeVos Place. Melissa Kent, a Grand Rapids resident was just one member of the line, along with her three children, Bryce- age 6, Alayna- age 5, and Wade-age 2. Kent spoke of why she had brought her children to pay respects to a President that served long before their birth. “President Ford was known as a moral leader, and there are not many moral leaders left in the world today. I think it is important to show my children someone with high morals.”

While many families chose to bring their young children to the event, many may not appreciate the significance of the event until their adulthood. Hunter Lammers, 8 year old son of Matt and Tisha from Hudsonville, Michigan was excited to attend the event, but said that he was excited “to stay up late and be in the city with all of the people.” The Lammers waited in line for two hours and were then told that they would possibly have to wait 4 or 5 more and made the decision to leave the line, due to their jobs early Wednesday morning and the age of their son. Their choice was the exception among the crowd.

Mary Mast, a nurse who needed to be at the hospital at a quarter past seven had been in line for 2 ½ hours at 10:30 pm and said that she expected to be in line for several more. Mast commented on her reason for staying in line stating, “I met the president three other times and I just had to come down and see him and thank his family for sharing him with all of us. This is what memories are made of.”

Mast’s comments echo the general consensus of the crowd. Most were more than willing to wait however long it took to participate in this historic event. Lindsay Malloy grew up in Grand Rapids, but has since moved to California. While she returned to Michigan with the intent of visiting family, visiting the President’s body as it lay in repose soon found a place on her schedule. “This is possibly my only chance to do something like this. It was either watch a movie tonight or participate in history. This won.”

After those in line traversed the several-mile long path and entered the Gerald R. Ford Museum, they were allowed to briefly view the flag draped coffin, surrounded by a Guard of Honor which was composed of a motionless member of each branch of the military and presided over by an armed Captain of the Guard. Throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday, Guard of Honor members worked rotating shifts attending the body.

Many visitors reacted with suppressed emotion, and quickly shuffled past the body in near silence. The black-banner festooned lobby echoed as passers-by were greeted by family and Ford Foundation members and given a memorial card thanking them for their part in honoring the President’s passing. A large Presidential Seal carved in the wall of the lobby was illuminated by a simple spotlight. Smaller versions of the seal were featured in the center of wreaths that flanked the coffin.

Ford Family and Friends Reaction

A nameless guest of the Ford’s (later possibly identified as James M. Cannon, President Ford’s White House Domestic Policy Advisor, journalist, and author of the essay on Ford, Character Above All,) gave voice to how touched the family and friends were that so many were so willing to wait so long for just a brief glimpse of his flag-draped coffin as he smoked a cigarette near one of the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel’s smaller entrances. While this guest and Air Force One passenger declined giving his name, he did suggest that the Starbucks Coffee connected to the hotel should be opened so that the cold line members could have something hot to drink.

He went on to speak of his, and perhaps the family as a whole’s wishing to express their thanks to the crowd, “What would it take, do you think, to provide coffee for all of these people out here? They need some coffee or just something warm to drink. They look cold, but they don’t seem to care They deserve it.” When it was replied that it would take a great deal of money to give a hot drink to the thousands that were gathered, he stated, “Well, I don’t have the money, but it’s all about who you know.”

Indeed, the mood from the Ford family was one a gratefulness to be in their home state, relief to have the events almost over, and appreciation for the estimated 15,000 citizens who flooded the city to participate in the event. Betty Ford was quoted as being “Bowled over” by the attention that her husband was receiving and appreciative of the press’s positive response to the events taking place.