Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Gerald Ford dies

Requiescat In Pace

He will hold the record for a very long time as the oldest living President, and he will probably be the only man in all of history who will have served as President and Vice President without being elected to either office. He survived two assassination attempts and was the President who hired Donald Rumsfeld as the nation’s (then) youngest Secretary of Defense.

I remember learning about President Ford being a member of the Warren Commission, and then replacing Spiro Agnew as Vice President (under the provisions of the 25th Amendment), and then being promoted to President when Nixon resigned after Watergate.

I got to shake Ford’s hand when he flew out to the opening of a new local airport, many moons ago - the only POTUS hand I ever shook.

May his family be comforted in this time.