Reps. Lyons, Brown, Cotter, Denby, Durhal, Goike, Heise, Hooker, Kowall, MacGregor, O'Brien, Price, Slavens, Stanley and Yonker offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 208.

            A resolution to commemorate the life of President Gerald R. Ford and the indelible contributions he made to Michigan and to the United States of America.

            Whereas, All American Presidents affect the history of the United States, but President Gerald Rudolph Ford leaves a legacy of leadership and service that will endure for years to come; and

            Whereas, Gerald R. Ford is the only person from the state of Michigan to have served as President of the United States; and

            Whereas, Gerald R. Ford graduated from the University of Michigan with academic and athletic excellence; and

            Whereas, Gerald R. Ford attended Yale University Law School and graduated in the top 25 percent of his class while also working as a football coach; and

            Whereas, Gerald R. Ford joined the United States Navy Reserves in 1942 and served valiantly on the U.S.S. Monterey in the Philippines during World War II; and

            Whereas, The U.S.S. Monterey earned 10 battle stars, awarded for participation in battle while Gerald R. Ford served on the ship; and

            Whereas, Gerald R. Ford was released to inactive duty in 1946 with the rank of Lieutenant Commander; and

            Whereas, Gerald R. Ford was elected to the House of Representatives in 1948, where he served with distinction and integrity for 25 years; and

            Whereas, Gerald R. Ford’s contributions to the foreign operations and defense subcommittees of the Committee on Appropriations earned him a reputation as a `congressman's congressman'; and

            Whereas, President Lyndon Johnson appointed Gerald R. Ford to the Warren Commission in 1963 to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; and

            Whereas, Gerald R. Ford served as minority leader of the House of Representatives from 1965 to 1973; and

            Whereas, Gerald R. Ford served as the 38th President of the United States from August 1974 to January 1977, taking office at a dark hour in the history of the United States and returning the faith of the people of the United States in the Presidency through his wisdom, courage, and integrity; and

            Whereas, The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford is remembered for restoring trust and openness to the Presidency; and

            Whereas, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill concluded: “God has been good to America, especially during difficult times. At the time of the Civil War, he gave us Abraham Lincoln. And at the time of Watergate, he gave us Gerald Ford—the right man at the right time who was able to put our nation back together again.”; and

            Whereas, President Gerald R. Ford followed a steady, sensible course to cope with the nation's economic problems and during his Administration halted double-digit inflation and lowered unemployment; and

            Whereas, President Gerald R. Ford worked to solidify President Nixon's accomplishments in China, brought representatives of Israel and Egypt to the conference table, and provided developmental assistance to poor countries; and

            Whereas, Under Gerald R. Ford’s leadership in 1975, the United States signed the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, commonly known as the `Helsinki Agreement', which ratified post-World War II European borders and supported human rights; and

            Whereas, Also under Gerald R. Ford’s leadership in 1975, the Operation Babylift evacuated children from South Vietnam to the United States and other countries at the end of the Vietnam War; and

            Whereas, Gerald R. Ford, together with his beloved wife, Betty Ford, was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999 in recognition of dedicated public service and outstanding humanitarian contributions to the people of the United States; and

            Whereas, Gerald R. Ford received the Medal of Freedom in 1999, the nation's highest civilian award, for his role in guiding the nation through the turbulent times of Watergate, the resignation of President Nixon, and the end of the Vietnam War, and for restoring integrity and public trust to the Presidency; and

            Whereas, After leaving the Presidency, Gerald R. Ford was an international ambassador of American goodwill, a noted scholar and lecturer, and a strong supporter of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, which was named for the former President in 1999; and

            Whereas, President Gerald R. Ford died on December 26, 2006, leaving Americans for generations to come with a legacy of unparalleled honesty, integrity, and dedication of purpose; and

            Whereas, The aircraft carrier CVN-78 has been named the USS Gerald R. Ford in fitting tribute to President Ford’s extraordinary service to the Navy and to America; and

            Whereas, In further tribute to his extraordinary service to America, a statue of President Ford was presented by the state of Michigan to the National Statuary Hall Collection and now stands in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol; and

            Whereas, President Gerald R. Ford would have been 100 years old on July 14, 2013; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body commemorate the life of President Gerald R. Ford and the indelible contributions he made to Michigan and to the United States of America.