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Golfing great (Jack Nicklaus) serves as Ford pallbearer
Grand Rapids Press ^ | 1/3/06

Posted on 01/03/2007 5:33:31 PM PST by Mr. Brightside

Golfing great serves as Ford pallbearer

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

By Tom Rademacher and Greg Johnson

The Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS -- Golf legend Jack Nicklaus has met many influential people, including seven U.S. presidents.

But there was something special about his relationship with the 38th president, the chief executive who hailed from Grand Rapids.

The two men golfed together, skied together, dined together. They exchanged letters and Christmas gifts. They even shared a common love for the lineage that delivered them their golden retriever puppies.

So when Gerald R. Ford asked Nicklaus if he would serve as an honorary pallbearer at his funeral, the golf great nodded his assent. He was to be among a dozen men and women performing that duty this afternoon at Grace Episcopal Church in East Grand Rapids.

"I do not know," Nicklaus said, "if I have ever met a nicer man in my life."

The golfing great, reached at his room inside the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel on Tuesday, said he often prefers a publicist to handle interview requests.

"But when someone calls about Jerry Ford," he told a reporter, "that's a call I try to return."

A shared love of dogs

Nicklaus spoke at length about his relationship with Ford, revealing not only that they shared the same lineage of golden retriever dogs, but how Ford once tapped the golfer for some political muscle.

Nicklaus and Ford first met as partners at a pro-am at Inverarry Resort near Fort Lauderdale, Fla., while the president still was in office. Ford and his wife, Betty, and Nicklaus and his wife, Barbara, were enjoying dinner when the topic of dogs came up.

"Barbara and I had always had small dogs -- ankle biters -- and Barbara never really wanted a big dog," Nicklaus said. But it was Barbara who jumped at the opportunity when the president offered a puppy from the litter of their golden, Liberty, who was pregnant.

"As soon as we got in the car, and before I could get in my two cents," said Nicklaus, Barbara blurted out that "If the president would have offered me a snake, I would have taken it."

Today, the Nicklauses are on their fourth golden, all descendants of Liberty.

When Bill Clinton was president and Ford was trying to exert influence on the pending North American Free Trade Agreement, he called Nicklaus to have the three of them golf.

Nicklaus remembers Ford saying: " 'Jack, I want you to play golf with me and Clinton so I can talk some sense into this guy's head.' "

Nicklaus initially bowed out because he was playing in a PGA event the weekend Ford wanted to golf. When Nicklaus failed to make the cut, however, "it wasn't five minutes and (Ford) was on the phone to Barbara."

That intended weekend, the trio played for two days at Vail, Colo.

"It was a very nice time," Nicklaus said, "and President Ford's efforts were successful, so I guess I had a small hand in that."

Nicklaus: Ford was family man

Nicklaus always was in awe of Ford's attention to family. Ford, having decided knee problems would keep him from being a golf partner to Nicklaus one year, counseled the golf legend to take his son, Jack, as a replacement.

"He said, 'When I was in Congress, I went years and years without being able to do things with my sons, and I deeply regret that. The demands of public life stopped me from enjoying and helping my boys grow up, and that was a mistake. So there is no way in the world I'm going to contribute to you making the same mistake.' "

Nicklaus said Ford might have been the best golfer among the presidents he has seen.

"The former president was a big hitter off the tee and played to about a 13- or 14-handicap," Nicklaus said. "And when I say a 13- or 14-handicap, I mean he was a real 13 or 14. He would regularly shoot 85."

Nicklaus called Ford "one of the best athletes to have ever served in the White House," but perhaps more importantly, he took the time Tuesday to call him what a lot of those in West Michigan and elsewhere have been calling him for decades:

"A genuinely nice guy."


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To: Mr. Brightside

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21 posted on 01/03/2007 9:00:35 PM PST by GOP Poet
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To: Mr. Brightside
"The former president was a big hitter off the tee and played to about a 13- or 14-handicap," Nicklaus said.

Big hitter, that Lama.

Ok, sorry, couldn't resist.

22 posted on 01/03/2007 10:12:07 PM PST by KellyAdmirer
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To: Mr. Brightside

Depends entirely on whose casket it was.


23 posted on 01/04/2007 2:38:07 AM PST by linda_22003
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To: crz

Respect IS lacking in this day and age.

And I need my employees to respect their jobs, rather than dumping their responsibilities on others so they can go to a funeral of someone they never met.


24 posted on 01/04/2007 4:09:16 AM PST by Mr. Brightside
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To: Mr. Brightside

You sir, have no repsect. That proves that you are not a good boss.


25 posted on 01/04/2007 6:06:20 AM PST by crz
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To: Mr. Brightside
I was up in Sparta yesterday at about 3 o'clock and saw the jets flying over in groups of 4 or 5, that was pretty awesome. I live out in Robinson Twp and was going to take 131 to the Gerald R. Ford freeway and take that to Lake Michigan drive to get home. The planes reminded me though that it would probably be a mess in that area. Reading and hearing the reports I'm glad I didn't.

I don't think it's overkill. He was a very good man and deserves all the pomp and circumstances.

26 posted on 01/04/2007 6:12:44 AM PST by DouglasKC
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To: crz

How many employees do you have, oh Great Employment Master?

And what would you do with an employee who last week was asking you for an advance on a paycheck because she didn't have any money, yet this week takes an unpaid day off work to to stand in line for six hours to view Ford's casket?


27 posted on 01/04/2007 6:14:28 AM PST by Mr. Brightside
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To: DouglasKC

I live in Ada Township.

I was supposed to be riding a horse yesterday afternoon during the funeral. My friend called to let me know that she saw the jets streaking through sun that was setting over Grand Rapids.

She said it was quite a sight.


28 posted on 01/04/2007 6:17:28 AM PST by Mr. Brightside
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To: DouglasKC

And I have no problem with the pomp and circumstance of the funeral and the ceremonies.

It is the reaction of some people that I find 'overkill.'


29 posted on 01/04/2007 6:19:52 AM PST by Mr. Brightside
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To: Mr. Brightside

Don't you have discretion as to what to do with such an employee?


30 posted on 01/04/2007 6:20:27 AM PST by linda_22003
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To: linda_22003

We could fire, interview, rehire and retrain. And in the end get someone who has a different set of problems.


31 posted on 01/04/2007 6:43:06 AM PST by Mr. Brightside
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To: Mr. Brightside

As a manager, I hear ya. I guess I would be asking myself, in this situation, why I can't seem to attract quality people. ;)


32 posted on 01/04/2007 6:47:23 AM PST by linda_22003
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To: Mr. Brightside

"And I need my employees to respect their jobs, rather than dumping their responsibilities on others..."


With you down the line Mr. B.

And I doubt few here will agree with me, but I had a problem with giving the government slugs yet another day off on Tuesday. The pomp and circumstance of the full state funeral and ALL the expense that entails is tribute enough, without having to shut down the entire government ON FULL PAY.

And yes, I liked and respected Mr. Ford, by the way.


33 posted on 01/04/2007 6:55:34 AM PST by EyeGuy
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