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Recent Events at the Gerald R. Ford Library
and Museum
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Annual Wreath-Laying Ceremony
July 14, 2010
GRAND RAPIDS -- Individual wreathes from President Barack Obama, the Ford family, and special guest His Excellency Ichiro Fujisaki, Ambassador of Japan to the United States, were placed at President Ford's gravesite on the 97th anniversary of his birth. Reverend Steven Holmgren of Grace Episcopal Church offered the benediction. |
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Behind the Lens: Four White House Photographers from Ford to Bush
Saturday, April 24, 2:00 p.m.
GRAND RAPIDS -- Four former presidential photographers sat for a Q & A session after presenting slides and anecdotes about their lives behind the lens at the White House [l-r] Eric Draper (George W. Bush), Robert McNeeley (Bill Clinton), David Valdez (George H.W. Bush) and moderator David Hume Kennerly (Gerald R. Ford). |
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Mrs. Fords 92nd Birthday Celebration
Thursday, April 9, 2010 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
GRAND RAPIDS -- Over 2,400 persons visited the Museum to celebrate Mrs. Fords birthday, enjoying cake donated by Meijer, Inc. and free admission.
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Hank Meijer
Senator Vandenberg and the Cold War
Saturday, March 27, 2010 2:00 p.m.
GRAND RAPIDS --- Historian Hank Meijer, co-chairman and co-CEO of Meijer Inc., spoke about the subject of his forthcoming book --- Grand Rapids' most famous senator, Arthur Vandenberg. |
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Sichan Siv
A Survivor's Journey from Cambodia's Killing Fields to U.S. Diplomat
Monday, March 29, 2010 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR -- After delivering a fascinating author talk, Sichan Siv, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, posed at a reception and book-signing with local friends and his traveling companion, H.E. Katsuhiro Shinohara, former Ambassador of Japan to Cambodia (left). |
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Sharon K. Fawcett
Presidential Libraries and Museums in the 21st Century: Reflections on the Dilemmas of History, Legacy, and Politics
Wednesday, March 24, 2010 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR -- The head of the National Archives’ presidential library system spoke about the major issues surrounding these unique and sometimes controversial cultural institutions, among which the Ford Library and Museum is the 8th of 13. The talk was part of the University of Michigan’s Museum Theme Year.
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Benton Becker
Gerald R. Ford's First 100 Days
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR -- President Ford's private counsel spoke about his key role in obtaining a pardon for Richard Nixon and the disposition of Nixon's papers and tapes during one of the nation's most dramatic presidential transitons. Professor Becker currently serves on the faculty of St. Thomas University in Ft. Lauderdale.
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Dr. James Goode, GVSU and Museum Staff
Teaching the Cold War
Saturday, February 27 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
GRAND RAPIDS -- There was a $10.00 workshop fee which included Museum admission, materials, and lunch. Registration was limited to 25 teachers. |
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Mark Updegrove
The Presidents and the Cold War
Thursday, February 25, 2010 7:30 p.m.
GRAND RAPIDS -- Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library Director Mark Updegrove, author of Baptism by Fire: Eight Presidents Who Took Office in Times of Crisis, visited the Museum to speak about the challenges Presidents Truman and Kennedy faced during the Cold War.
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Ron C. White, Jr.
Abraham Lincoln 2010: Wisdom for Today
Tuesday, February 16 7:30 p.m.
GRAND RAPIDS – Noted Lincoln biographer Ron C. White, Jr. spoke about the subject of his best-selling book, A. Lincoln: A Biography, in a program jointly sponsored by the Museum and Grand Valley State University’s Hauenstein Center. A book-signing and reception followed.
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Tom Borcher
Alligators in the East Room and Other White House Tales
Saturday, February 13 and Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
GRAND RAPIDS -- You may remember Tom Borcher and his outstanding tours of The White House in Miniature. We brought Tom back once again, this time as part of the White House Weekend Celebration. Visitors joined Tom for a lively sixty minute conversation about the nation's executive mansion. |
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Presidents Day
Monday, February 15, 2010 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
GRAND RAPIDS -- Storytelling, crafts, and birthday cake. Activities were free with paid Museum admission. |
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President Gerald R. Ford Essay Challenge
Awards Ceremony
Monday, February 15, 2010 7:00 PM
GRAND RAPIDS -- The Awards Ceremony for this annual competition recognized the essays of all 18 finalists on "The Meaning of Courage Today." The top winners were announced, prizes awarded and the essays read, followed by a reception.
Read the winning essays on our web site. |
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HONEST ABE: A Character You Can Count On
Face to Face Productions/Circle Theater
Thursday and Friday, February 11-12, 2010
GRAND RAPIDS -- The Museum kicked off the Presidents Day week-end with four daytime performances of this popular K-5 musical about how the elements of good character shaped and influenced one of our greatest presidents. |
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Joan Biskupic
Author, American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR -- USA TODAY Supreme Court correspondent Joan Biskupic spoke at the Library about her new book, American Original, and signed copies during a reception that followed.
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Peter Earnest and Oleg Danilvoich Kalugin
Inside the Cold War: CIA and KGB Perspectives
Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:30 p.m.
Grand Rapids -- Oleg Kaulgin, retired major general in the Soviet KGB, and Peter Earnest, retired CIA senior intelligence officer, opened the Museum’s new exhibit, America and the Cold War, with a memorable discussion of their experiences, following by a book signing. They are shown here standing by the Museum’s permanently installed piece of the Berlin Wall. |
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