HR0476 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0476 LRB097 12548 GRL 57032 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Elizabeth Ford, who passed away at the age of 93 on July 8, 2011; and

WHEREAS, Elizabeth Bloomer was born on April 8, 1918, in Chicago; she was raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she displayed an early talent for dance and began to study seriously at the age of 14; her progress was such that, by the age of 20, she was offered tuition by the choreographer Martha Graham in New York, joined her teacher's auxiliary company for performances at Carnegie Hall, and worked as a fashion model to earn extra cash; she later moved back to the Michigan area at her mother's request; and

WHEREAS, Within a year, Elizabeth Bloomer had married an old school sweetheart and left home, though the marriage was soon ended by mutual consent; in 1948, she married Gerald Ford, a lawyer fresh out of the wartime Navy and just embarking on his political career in the United States House of Representatives; the couple would be married for 58 years, until his death in December of 2006; and

WHEREAS, In 1973, as Mrs. Ford was happily anticipating her husband's retirement from politics, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew was forced out of office over bribery charges, which led President Richard Nixon to turn to Gerald Ford to fill the office; Less than a year later, on August 9, 1974, Gerald Ford was sworn in as the only chief executive in American history who had not been elected either president or vice president; Mrs. Ford wrote of her sudden ascent to First Lady: "It was like going to a party you're terrified of, and finding out to your amazement that you're having a good time"; and

WHEREAS, Betty Ford was 56 when she moved into the White House, and looked more matronly than modern; ever gracious, she tended to speak softly and slowly, even when taking a feminist stand; she used her newfound influence as the First Lady to lobby aggressively to speak against child abuse, raise money for handicapped children, espouse the rights of girls and women, and support the performing arts; and

WHEREAS, As a leader and advocate for the rights of women, Betty Ford won high praise for her courageous support of breast cancer awareness following her 1974 mastectomy; after the Fords left the White House in January of 1977, she also raised awareness of addiction problems with her announcement of her long-running battle with alcoholism and drug addiction; and

WHEREAS, Betty Ford used the unvarnished story of her own descent and recovery to crusade for better addiction treatment, especially for women; she was a co-founder of the non-profit Betty Ford Center, located near the Fords' home in Rancho Mirage, California, in 1982; she raised millions of dollars for the center, kept close watch over its operations, and regularly welcomed groups of new patients; she was also a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal (co-presentation with her husband, Gerald R. Ford, on October 21, 1998) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (alone, presented in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush); and

WHEREAS, Betty Ford is survived by her children, Michael, John, Steven, and Susan Ford, and her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with her family and friends, the passing of former First Lady Elizabeth Ford; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Betty Ford as a symbol of our sincere sympathy and respect for her service in the White House and as a private citizen.