Post-Presidency

Kaiser Morcus

Kaiser Morcus was a friend of the President and Mrs. Ford. Morcus is a businessman and owner of a number of businesses in the hospitality industry.  Kaiser Morcus was interview for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on December 2, 2008 by Richard Norton Smith....

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States. President Bush was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on July 26, 2010 by Richard Norton Smith.

Greg Willard

Greg Willard was White House Staff Assistant to President Gerald R. Ford and thereafter was President Ford’s personal aide in California. He later served as President and Mrs. Ford’s attorney and was President and Mrs. Ford and the Ford Family’s personal representative for President Ford’s State Funeral, responsible for overall planning and conduct of the State Funeral. He is Corporate Secretary and a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Harry Frampton

Harry Frampton serves as Chairman of the Board of the Vail Valley Foundation and was a friend of President and Mrs. Gerald R. Ford. President and Mrs. Ford were very supportive of the mission of the Vail Valley Foundation and served on its board of directors. The Foundation was instrumental in developing a park and an amphitheater that are named after President Ford. The Foundation also co-sponsored the AEI World Forum that President Ford founded.

Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger served as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State to President Gerald R. Ford. He also served in both positions for President Richard Nixon. In 1973, Dr. Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1977, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Ford. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Jack Eck

Jack Eck was a neighbor of President and Mrs. Ford in Vail, Colorado. He helped build the Vail Valley Medical Center. Eck serves as Executive Vice President for Clinical Program Development and Community Outreach for the Medical Center.

James Baker

James Baker served as Undersecretary of Commerce for President Gerald R. Ford and ran the President Ford’s 1976 campaign. He later served as White House Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Treasury under President Ronald Reagan. President George H.W. Bush appointed him as Secretary of State and later as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Jim Greenbaum

Jim Greenbaum is vice chairman of the Betty Ford Center. Greenbaum was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on December 5, 2008 by Richard Norton Smith.

James West

James West was the first Physician Director of the Betty Ford Center, and served as Medical Director for several years after that. West started his medical career as a gifted surgeon. He was one of the two doctors who performed the world’s first human organ transplant (a kidney). He later completed advanced studies in psychiatry and taught at the University of Chicago prior to joining the medical staff at the Betty Ford Center.

Jan Hart

Jan Hart served for many years on President and Mrs. Ford’s staff in Rancho Mirage as a personal assistant to Mrs. Ford. Jan Hart was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on December 5, 2008 by Richard Norton Smith.

John Purcell

John Purcell was a friend of President and Mrs. Gerald R. Ford. He is also a successful businessman and owned Purcell’s Restaurant in Vail. Purcell was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on June 23, 2010 by Richard Norton Smith.

Lee Bollinger

Lee Bollinger served as President of the University of Michigan from 1996-2002. Bollinger was instrumental in helping to establish the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

Lee Simmons

Lee Simmons served on President Gerald R. Ford and Mrs. Ford’s personal staff for over 30 years in California and Colorado. Prior to moving to California with the Fords in 1977, Lee was a member of the Air Force One crew.

Liz and Luc Meyer

Liz and Luc Meyer were friends of President and Mrs. Ford. They are the former owners of the Left Bank restaurant in Vail, Colorado. Liz and Luc Meyer was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on June 25, 2010 by Richard Norton Smith.

Lloyd Carr

Lloyd Carr served as the head football coach at the University of Michigan from 1995 – 2007. Carr was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on May 12, 2010 by Richard Norton Smith.

Lorraine Ornelas

Lorraine Ornelas worked as private chef for President and Mrs. Ford in California for many years. Ornelas was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on December 4, 2008 by Richard Norton Smith.

Maria Downs

Maria Downs served as Executive Assistant in the White House Bicentennial Liaison office before being appointed as White House Social Secretary during President Gerald R. Ford’s presidency. Maria coordinated the 1976 Bicentennial events at the White House.

Nancy Brinker

Nancy Brinker is the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Nancy served as Ambassador to Hungary and as Chief of Protocol of the United States under President George W. Bush.

Paul Jenkins

Paul Jenkins was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Betty Ford Center, as well as a Founding Trustee of the Eisenhower Medical Center. Jenkins was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on December 4, 2008 by Richard Norton Smith.

Paul O’Neill

Paul O’Neill served as President Gerald R. Ford’s Deputy Director of the Office Management and Budget. After leaving the Ford Administration, he served as President of International Paper, Chairman of the Rand Corporation and President and CEO of Alcoa. He later served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under President George W. Bush. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Penny Circle

Penny Circle served in California as Chief of Staff to former President Gerald R. Ford. Circle was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on December 5, 2008 by Richard Norton Smith.

Richard Wennekamp

Richard Wennekamp was a Special Assistant to President Gerald R. Ford, as well as Executive Director of the Ford Transition Office. Wennekamp held a number of senior executive positions at Community Bank and Bank of America. He serves on the board of CytRx Corporation.

Rod Slifer

Rod Slifer was the first realtor in the Vail Valley beginning in 1962. He is also the former Mayor of Vail, Colorado. Slifer was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on June 29, 2010 by Richard Norton Smith.

Sandy Weill

Sandy Weill is a banker, financier and philanthropist. He is a former chief executive and chairman of Citigroup. He and his wife, Joan were instrumental in the construction of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Weill is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Shelli Archibald

Shelli Archibald served on President Gerald R. Ford’s staff in California. Archibald was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on December 5, 2008 by Richard Norton Smith.

Todd Matanich

Todd Matanich served as a Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service assigned to President Gerald R. Ford in California. Matanich was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on December 1, 2008 by Richard Norton Smith.

Tom DeFrank

Tom DeFrank covered the presidency of Gerald R. Ford for Newsweek magazine. He was Newsweek’s White House correspondent for 25 years and is currently Washington bureau chief of the New York Daily News. DeFrank was an eyewitness to both assassination attempts on President Ford’s life in 1975.

Dorothy Downton

Dorothy Downton joined Gerald R. Ford’s congressional staff in 1967. She later served as personal secretary during his time as Vice President and as President. She also served as President Ford’s personal secretary in his Rancho Mirage office.

Don Rumsfeld

Donald Rumsfeld served with Gerald R. Ford in the U.S. House of Representatives, as a four-term Congressman from Illinois. In the Nixon Administration, he served in the Office of Economic Opportunity, Counselor to the President, and as the United States Permanent Representative to NATO. President Ford appointed him as his White House Chief of Staff and later as Secretary of Defense. He also served as Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Dick Garbarino

Dick Garbarino worked for President Ford and his family in Beaver Creek, Colorado from 1991 until 2006, providing property management and other assistance to them.Dick Garbarino was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on June 24, 2010 by Richard Norton Smith.

Dick Cheney

Dick Cheney served as Chief of Staff to President Gerald R. Ford. He was the youngest person in U.S. history to serve in that position. He served as the U.S. Congressman from the state of Wyoming from 1979 until 1989. President George H.W. Bush appointed him Secretary of Defense. Cheney served two terms as Vice President of the United States during the Presidency of George W. Bush. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

David Kennerly

Prior to joining the Ford Administration, David Kennerly worked as the staff photographer for a number of newspapers and magazines, including Time magazine. In 1972 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography for the photo collection he took while covering the Vietnam War. Kennerly was appointed as Personal Photographer to the President the day President Ford was sworn in. He was only the third civilian ever to hold that position. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Chris DeMuth

Christopher DeMuth served as president of the American Enterprise Institute from 1986-2008 and remains a Senior Fellow. DeMuth assisted President Ford in forming the annual AEI World Forum in 1982 and served as its host for more than 20 years.

Chris Chase

Chris Chase collaborated in a book documenting the life of Betty Ford entitled “Times of My Life.” Chris Chase was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on January 21, 2011 by Richard Norton Smith.

Bob Barrett

Robert Barrett served as the Army Military Aide to President Gerald R. Ford. After leaving the military, Barrett served for several years as former President Ford’s Chief of Staff. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Bill Bresnahan

Bill Bresnahan served on President Gerald R. Ford’s United States Secret Service detail in California. Bresnahan was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on June 24, 2010 by Richard Norton Smith.

Bill and Sally Hanlon

The Hanlons, from Vail, Colorado, were friends of President and Mrs. Gerald Ford. Bill and Sally Hanlon was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on June 23, 2009 by Richard Norton Smith.

Ann Cullen

Anne Cullen served as the personal assistant and spokeswoman for Betty Ford in California. Cullen was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on August 17, 2009 by Richard Norton Smith.

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