Chapter 53.74: Remembering Jerry

Though I never met former President Gerald Ford, I saw him up close once. While covering the Presidents' Summit in 1997, I was standing by myself -- almost entirely -- on a path in Philadelphia. I think the event took place near Independence Hall. Suddenly, several serious and official looking men walked along the path and said to stand aside. Then President Ford walked past -- looking rather robust for a man in his early 80s. That was it. Looking back, that's the closest I've ever been to a former (or current) president, even though I've seen several of them speak before large gatherings of conference-goers.