Gerald Ford Museum Grand Rapids

Entertainment And Performing Arts

Grand Rapids has several popular concert venues in which numerous bands have performed, including 20 Monroe Live, the DAAC, the Intersection, DeVos Performance Hall, Van Andel Arena, Royce Auditorium in St. Cecilia Music Center, Forest Hills Fine Arts Center, The Pyramid Scheme, and the Deltaplex.

The Schubert Male Chorus of Grand Rapids was founded by Henry C. Post on November 19, 1883 the chorus continues to perform a variety of music.

The , founded in 1930, is the largest performing arts organization in Grand Rapids with a roster of about 50 full-time and 30 part-time musicians. In addition to its own concert series, the orchestra under music director accompanies productions by Grand Rapids Ballet and Opera Grand Rapids, presenting more than 400 performances a year.

Grand Rapids Ballet Company was founded in 1971 and is one of Michigan’s few professional ballet companies. The ballet company is on Ellsworth Avenue in the neighborhood, where it moved in 2000. In 2007, it expanded its facility by adding the LEED-certified Peter Wege Theater.

Opera Grand Rapids, founded in 1966, is the state’s longest-running professional company. In February 2010, the opera moved into a new facility in the Fulton Heights neighborhood.

College Work Study / Interns / Volunteers

The Library accepts a limited number of college work-study students, interns, and volunteers each year to assist with processing, preservation, and digitization of textual and audiovisual holdings. Student workers, eligible for the College Work-Study Program at the University of Michigan, and interns are often graduate students in archival studies, while volunteers range from high school students to retirees.

The Breton Village Train Display A Holiday Tradition For Many

For most of the 2010s, I took my kids to see the trains run at Breton Village Mall.

The holiday display was fantastic and offered free fun for the whole family. Wed go every year and play I Spy and sometimes visit Santa, too.

In fact, for nearly thirty years, this whimsical miniature train display entertained families at Breton Village Mall and was a treasured West Michigan holiday tradition.

The trains when they were at Breton Village

Several years ago, in 2017, Breton Village removed the indoor section of the mall, leaving the Breton Village holiday train without a display space. Also, Herb and his wife Shirley were not able to keep up with the tremendous amount of work required to keep the train running.

We thought that was the end of this iconic holiday staple when the train was put into storage.

Thankfully, though, thats not where the story of the Breton Village Train ends.

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Us House Of Representatives

After Ford returned to Grand Rapids in 1946, he became active in local Republican politics, and supporters urged him to challenge , the incumbent Republican congressman. Military service had changed his view of the world. “I came back a converted “, Ford wrote, “and of course our congressman at that time was an avowed, dedicated . And I thought he ought to be replaced. Nobody thought I could win. I ended up winning two to one.”

During his first campaign in 1948, Ford visited voters at their doorsteps and as they left the factories where they worked. Ford also visited local farms where, in one instance, a wager resulted in Ford spending two weeks milking cows following his election victory.

Ford was a member of the House of Representatives for 25 years, holding seat from 1949 to 1973. It was a tenure largely notable for its modesty. As an editorial in The New York Times described him, Ford “saw himself as a negotiator and a reconciler, and the record shows it: he did not write a single piece of major legislation in his entire career.” Appointed to the two years after being elected, he was a prominent member of the . Ford described his philosophy as “a moderate in domestic affairs, an internationalist in foreign affairs, and a conservative in fiscal policy.” He voted in favor of the ,,, and , as well as the and the . Ford was known to his colleagues in the House as a “Congressman’s Congressman”.

College And Law School

Ford attended the , where he played , , and for the school’s football team and helped the to two undefeated seasons and in and . In his senior year of , the team suffered a steep decline and won only one game, but Ford was still the team’s star player. In one of those games, Michigan held heavily favored the eventual national championto a scoreless tie in the first half. After the game, assistant coach said, “When I walked into the dressing room at halftime, I had tears in my eyes I was so proud of them. Ford and Sweet played their hearts out. They were everywhere on defense.” Ford later recalled, “During 25 years in the rough-and-tumble world of politics, I often thought of the experiences before, during, and after that game in 1934. Remembering them has helped me many times to face a tough situation, take action, and make every effort possible despite adverse odds.” His teammates later voted Ford their most valuable player, with one assistant coach noting, “They felt Jerry was one guy who would stay and fight in a losing cause.”

Throughout life, Ford remained interested in his school and football he occasionally attended games. Ford also visited with players and coaches during practices at one point, he asked to join the players in the huddle. Before state events, Ford often had the Navy band play the University of Michigan fight song, “,” instead of “.”

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Primary And Secondary Education

are part of the district. AAPS has one of the country’s leading music programs. In September 2008, 16,539 students had been enrolled in the Ann Arbor Public Schools. Notable schools include , , , and high schools, and . The district has a preschool center with both free and tuition-based programs for preschoolers in the district. The University High School, a “demonstration school” with teachers drawn from the University of Michigan’s education program, was part of the school system from 1924 to 1968.

Ann Arbor is home to several private schools, including Emerson School, the , Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor, , , and , a prep school. The city is also home to several such as Central Academy of the charter school company, and Honey Creek Community School.

State Symbols And Nicknames

Michigan is traditionally known as “The Wolverine State”, and the University of Michigan takes the wolverine as its mascot. The association is well and long established: for example, many Detroiters volunteered to fight during the American Civil War and , who led the Michigan Brigade, called them the “Wolverines”. The origins of this association are obscure it may derive from a busy trade in wolverine furs in Sault Ste. Marie in the 18th century or may recall a disparagement intended to compare early settlers in Michigan with the vicious mammal. Wolverines are, however, extremely rare in Michigan. A sighting in February 2004 near was the first confirmed sighting in Michigan in 200 years. The animal was found dead in 2010.

• : Wolverine State, Great Lake State, Mitten State, Water-Winter Wonderland
• : adopted in 1835 on the coat-of-arms, but never as an official motto. This is a paraphrase of the epitaph of British architect Sir about his masterpiece, .
• :
• : . It is composed of fossilized from long ago when the middle of the continent was covered with a shallow sea.
• : . Also called chlorastrolite , the mineral is found on and the Keweenaw peninsula.
• : U.S. coin issued in 2004 with the Michigan motto “Great Lakes State”.
• : , ranges in color from black to yellowish brown, covers nearly 1,000,000-acre in 29 counties.

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Gerald R Ford Presidential Museum Closes Because Of Covid

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum has temporarily closed because of COVID-19 concerns. Grand Rapids Press/MLive.com

GRAND RAPIDS, MI The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum has temporarily closed its doors because of local COVID conditions.

The museum, 303 Pearl St. NW, announced the closure on its Facebook page this morning.

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

Health Environment And Utilities

The , the only teaching hospital in the city, took the number 1 slot in for best hospital in the state of , as of 2015. The University of Michigan Health System includes University Hospital, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Women’s Hospital in its core complex. UMHS also operates out-patient clinics and facilities throughout the city. The area’s other major medical centers include a large facility operated by the in Ann Arbor, and Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital in nearby .

The city provides sewage disposal and water supply services, with water coming from the and groundwater sources. There are two plants, one main and three outlying reservoirs, four , and two . These facilities serve the city, which is divided into five water districts. The city’s water department also operates four dams along the Huron River, , , and of which Barton and Superior provide . The city also offers waste management services, with handling recycling service. Other utilities are provided by private entities. and are provided by . is the primary wired telephone service provider for the area. service is primarily provided by .

A plume of the industrial solvent is migrating under the city from the contaminated Gelman Sciences, Inc. property on the westside of Ann Arbor. It’s currently detected at 0.039 ppb. The Gelman plume is a potential threat to one of the City of Ann Arbor’s drinking water sources, the Huron River, which flows through downtown Ann Arbor.

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Gerald R Ford Presidential Museum

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is the presidential museum and burial place of Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States , and his wife Betty Ford. It is located near the Pew Campus of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ford’s presidential museum is the only such facility under the auspices of the National Archives and Records Administration to be separate from the presidential library, which is located approximately 130 miles to the east in Ann Arbor. Despite the separation, the library and museum are a single institution with one director.

America And The Cold War

Four Decades that Changed the World World War II was the most devastating conflict in history with much of Europe and Asia left in ruins at war’s end. Yet, there was no peace. The superpowers of the United States and Soviet Union and their ideologies of democracy versus tyranny competed for prominence on the world stage in a cold war. For over 40 years these nuclear superpowers maintained a standoff and avoided a hot war that could have potentially destroyed the planet. America and the Cold War explored this powerful subject through such iconic artifacts as: an original 34′ Nike Ajax missile, arming plug used to activate the bomb used on Hiroshima, Thunderbolt Air Raid siren, SALT I Treaty, scale model of Apollo-Soyuz, candy parachute from the Berlin Airlift, Stasi surveillance equipment, and a desk plaque awarded to the crew members of the Soviet SA-2 missile battalion that shot down Francis Gary Powers U-2 spy plane in 1960.

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Gerald R Ford Presidential Museum Grand Rapids United States

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is the presidential museum and resting place of Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States , and his wife Betty Ford, located near the Pew Campus of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Fords presidential museum is the only such facility under the auspices of the National Archives and Records Administration to be separate from the presidential library, which is located approximately 130 miles to the east in Ann Arbor. Despite the separation, the library and museum are a single institution with one director.

At the core of the Gerald R. Ford Museum is the permanent exhibit, which allows visitors to experience highlights from President and Mrs. Fords lives. The exhibit teaches democratic citizenship and allows for quiet reflection. In addition to the permanent exhibits, changing temporary exhibits draw artifacts from Museums all over the country.

Not all museum programming revolves around the exhibits we also offer a wide variety of family-friendly events and lectures on a regular basis the Museum Store sells items relating to the Ford presidency, other Presidents and First Ladies, and other souvenirs.

The Ford Museum opened to the public in September 1981 and is part of the Presidential libraries system of the National Archives and Records Administration, a Federal agency. The Ford Museum is in Grand Rapids, Michigan while the Ford Library is in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Building:

Honoring Commander In Chief Gerald R Ford

38th President Inducted into the Michigan Military and Veterans Hall of Honor

President Gerald R. Ford, a decorated World War II veteran, was inducted into the Michigan Military and Veterans Hall of Honor in a ceremony in Lansing on November 19, 2021. President Ford is the only person from Michigan ever to go from Lieutenant Commander in the Navy eventually to Commander in Chief of the nation.

Mike Ford, eldest son of the President and Chair of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, said, My family is deeply honored that Dad joins other Michigan veterans in the Hall of Honor. These men and women have distinguished themselves through military and public service. Dad had a heart for all our veterans and the sacrifices their families have made. My family thanks Major General Robert W. Smith III , Petty Officer First Class Roger L. Yoder, and all the leadership in this fine organization for recognizing our father and all of the other distinguished service members who were inducted in this years ceremony.

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation Executive Director Gleaves Whitney accepted the highly prestigious award on behalf of the Ford family and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

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Th And 21st Centuries

Michigan’s economy underwent a transformation at the turn of the 20th century. Many individuals, including , and , , , , , and , provided the concentration of engineering know-how and technological enthusiasm to develop the . Ford’s development of the moving in marked a new era in transportation. Like the and railroad, mass production of automobiles was a far-reaching development. More than the forms of public transportation, the affordable automobile transformed private life. Automobile production became the major industry of Detroit and Michigan, and permanently altered the socioeconomic life of the United States and much of the world.

With the growth, the auto industry created jobs in Detroit that attracted immigrants from Europe and migrants from across the United States, including both blacks and whites from the rural . By 1920, Detroit was the fourth-largest city in the US. Residential housing was in short supply, and it took years for the market to catch up with the population boom. By the 1930s, so many immigrants had arrived that more than 30 languages were spoken in the public schools, and communities celebrated in annual heritage festivals. Over the years immigrants and migrants contributed greatly to Detroit’s diverse urban culture, including popular music trends. The influential of the 1960s was led by a variety of individual singers and groups.

Gerald R Ford Presidential Library

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The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is a repository located on the north campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The library houses archival materials on the life, career, and presidency of Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is a part of the National Archives and Records Administration’spresidential library system.

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Gerald R Ford Museum In Grand Rapids

Want to take a step back in time and visit the Oval Office as it was 40 years ago? Located in downtown Grand Rapids, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is the official museum and final resting place of our 38th President of the United States. Join us as we take you on an inside journey of the museum and the man who it recognizes.

Even though he was born under a different name in a different state, Gerald R. Ford always considered Grand Rapids his home. Gerald Ford was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1913. His time was short-lived in Nebraska, as his mother separated from his father and briefly moved him to Oak Park, Illinois. After a very brief time in Oak Park, Fords mother relocated the family to Grand Rapids. Gerald R. Ford grew up in a house on Union Avenue, just south of the Heritage Hill Historic District. Growing up, Ford was a Boy Scouts, and eventually became an Eagle Scout and attended Grand Rapids South High School on Hall Street , where he excelled in football. From here, Ford attended the University of Michigan, where he helped the Wolverines go undefeated two years in a row and majored in law. After the University of Michigan, Ford attended Yale University, where he earned a J.D. in law. After Yale, Ford returned to Grand Rapids and opened a law firm. His time was short in Grand Rapids after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Ford enlisted in the United States Navy, spending five years in combat.