Gerald R. Ford was 38th President of the United States, and the only president from the state of Michigan. Although the only President never elected to either the presidency or vice-presidency, Ford’s ascendancy to the highest office in the land resulted from the confidence Congress had in him as a man of high virtue and unimpeachable integrity. President Ford understood well that our republican system of government could not survive without virtuous citizens and leaders. President Ford restored dignity and trust to the office of the presidency when both those were at there lowest point. By his resolute manner, honesty, ability to build relationships across the aisle, work ethic, and sound decision-making, President Ford demonstrated that decent and honorable persons could occupy that office and perform its duties well, and that the American people deserved and should demand nothing less.

At the 1997 rededication of the Ford Museum, President Ford uttered the words that are more relevant today than when he spoke them 25 years ago: “Some things must never change…things like individual decency and honor and compassion and service to others….In some quarters civility is mistaken for weakness and compromise for surrender. I know better. More importantly, so do the vast majority of the American people. Politics is a clash of ideas, not a blood sport. It is a contest of principles, not a holy war. … You don’t need to be president to make history. Make your own history by contributing to your own community. Then you will discover the joy of being part of something bigger than yourself—and the realization that, while we make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”