Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Memories of Gerald Ford

Twenty years ago (literally in a previous life) I found myself working for former President Gerald Ford. I was a graduate student in Political Science at the University of Michigan, his alma mater. I helped run a conference at the Ford Library and edit a book of the proceedings. He had come and talked to my students.

One day he and I were sitting on the steps of the graduate school waiting for his car. He started reminiscing about attending U of M in the 1930's.

It is odd to me that, upon hearing of his passing, the one memory that stands out to me is this very casual conversation. I was finishing the Ph.D. program in Political Science and you might think that all I wanted to talk about was politics.

But today I'm happy that my lasting memory of Gerald Ford was personal (for him and for me) and not some innane discussion about some poltical topic that no one has cared about for twenty years.

Perspective is a beautiful thing.

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