Lunch with the President

In 1987 I had lunch with Gerald Ford.

I was a senior at Homestead High in lovely Fort Wayne Indiana, on assignment as a photographer for the school newspaper. A pal of mine whose grandfather golfed with former president Ford, wrote what must have been an impressive letter, begging Gerry to pay a visit to our school...to give a speech, gag down our food and shake hands with members of the student government and newspaper staff.

The school auditorium was packed with students and friends of teachers and administrators no one recognized. Our government teacher and baseball coach, Keith Potter, was pale and overdressed, scurrying around giving orders in a thin controlled voice, he looked like he might soil himself at any moment.

Ford rolled in like Elvis, Secret Service infested the school like jacket wearing cockroaches, and he was safely at the podium, ready to give an instantly forgettable speech.

I moved down the marble steps of the auditorium, camera at the ready. Secret Service shadowing my every move.

I shot several roles of film and some of my pictures made it into the paper. Later, my negatives were confiscated by Mark Kornman (sp?), our publications teacher.

At lunch Ford was pleasant and at ease, fielding questions from pimpled journalists and eating cafeteria food.

He was among us for several surreal hours and then poof!...back to class.