There will be several unprecedented tributes to Gerald Ford in the funeral arrangements that have been made. His body will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda and for brief periods outside both chambers of Congress where he served so many years.
WASHINGTON – Gerald R. Ford will be mourned in the rare and solemn spectacle of a state funeral crafted to honor his reverence for Congress, the institution that launched him to the presidency. Ceremonies begin Friday in a California church, and end five days later with Ford's entombment on a hillside near his Grand Rapids, Mich., presidential museum.
In between, according to funeral details announced Wednesday, Ford's body will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda, offering both dignitaries and the public a chance to pay final respects to the former Michigan congressman who rose to the White House in the collapse of Richard Nixon's presidency.
And in a departure from tradition meant to highlight his long congressional service, Ford's remains will also lie in repose outside the doors of both the House and the Senate for short periods.
"I know personally how much those two tributes themselves meant to President Ford," said family representative Gregory D. Willard, who detailed arrangements in a news conference in Palm Desert, Calif.
There are, as is normal when a former president dies, tons of ink and pixels being expended in describing his presidency and every detail of his life. I thought it would be appropriate to show a picture that captures the sort of man that Gerald Ford was. A picture of him, in the Oval Office working – with his golden retriever, Liberty at his feet. Rest in peace, Mr. President.
White House Photo Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Library (David Hume Kennerly)
