Also view all photos from Steve Ford’s visits on Flickr – Photos by Larry Avery, and Tom Brenner with MLive
“Your reputation is what people see; your character is who you are when no one is watching.”
On September 15, 2016, Steve Ford shared this lesson from his father with middle school students at Gerald R. Ford Academic Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After a meet and greet breakfast with teachers, Ford joined the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in the school gym of the building formerly named Madison Elementary, where President Ford attended school as a young boy. After sharing stories about life in the White House and on the sets of Hollywood movies, Ford discussed the most important lesson he learned from his dad—that the way to add value to your own life is to be of service to others. It was a solid support system of family members, teachers, and mentors that helped shape both his and his father’s character and contributed to their success. Ford encouraged students to appreciate the support systems they have in their families and in their school.
Later in the day, Ford spoke to students at the Gerald R. Ford Job Corps, which is housed in the old South High building, President Ford’s alma mater. After entertaining the audience with a montage of his film clips and stories , Ford got serious. He talked about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and the importance of making positive life choices. He shared that addiction is a disease that “doesn’t care who you are” and if not for his strong support system, he would not have been able to overcome his own. By sharing his story, Ford motivated the students to take advantage of the support system and opportunities provided to them by the Job Corps and to work towards adding value to their own lives and those around them.
“People invested in (my father’s) life all the way along. He never would have gotten to be president if it
weren’t for people coming along and investing in his life,” said Ford. About his father’s namesake school, he commented, “He would be proud, he would be happy, he’d love the investment of education in young
people’s lives.”
