The LuLac Edition #1671, July 9th, 2011

PHOTO INDEX: BETTY FORD, CIRCA EARLY 80s, GERALD FORD AND BETTY ARRIVING IN WASHINGTON IN THE LATE 1940s AND BOTH PRESIDENT FORD AND HIS WIFE AT A CEREMONY IN 2005.

BETTY FORD DIES

Betty Ford, the former first lady whose triumph over drug and alcohol addiction became a beacon of hope for addicts and the inspiration for her Betty Ford Center in California, died at age 93, a family friend said late Friday.
Her death Friday was confirmed to The Associated Press by Marty Allen, chairman emeritus of the Ford Foundation. Family spokeswoman Barbara Lewandrowski said later that the former first lady died at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Springs. Other details of her death were not immediately available.
The significant thing about Betty Ford was that as a First Lady, she broke the mold. Her predecessor was Pat Nixon. Mrs. Nixon’s stoicism contrasted greatly to Mrs. Ford’s ebullient personality and tart comments. Her life was an open book. So were her maladies. Her bouts with breast cancer and alcoholism were made so public that people were actually helped by her revelations on those subjects. Plus her pro life and championing of the Equal Rights Amendment told Americans, particularly Republicans (sometimes to their chagrin) that she had her own mind and own opinions. She was an American classic and will be fondly remembered.