The First Family

President and Mrs. Gerald R. Ford are the parents of three sons and a daughter. The Fords share an enthusiasm for sports, the outdoors and each other. Separated by different pursuits and individual interests, the family gathers each Christmas for a skiing vacation in Colorado and maintains close touch through frequent calls and letters.

The oldest child, Michael Gerald (Mike), was born March 14, 1950. Mike and his wife, the former Gayle Brumbaugh, live in Essex, Massachusetts, where Mike is a student at Gordon-Cornwell Theological Seminary. Mike plans to work with young people after completing his theological studies. Gayle has a master's degree in social work and shares Mike's interest in youth, particularly in counseling young people and college students.

John Gardner (Jack) was born March 16, 1952. Jack recently was named Director of Youth Marketing and Special Projects for Worldmark Travel Inc. He will help develop programs for student travel and coordinate production of a student guide book to the United States. Jack was graduated from Utah State University at Logan, Utah, in 1975, with a major in forestry. A former member of the U.S. Forest Service fire fighting crew and a former park ranger with the National Park Service, Jack is the only Ford son living in the White House.

Steven Meigs (Steve), was born May 19, 1956. In January 1976, Steve enrolled at California Polytechnic University as an animal science major to pursue his interest in learning about raising horses. He will continue to work part-time at a nearby ranch. Steve's interest in the outdoors has meant three summers on a ranch in Alaska, the study of grizzly bears and work on a cattle ranch and dairy farm.

Susan Elizabeth (Susan), the youngest of the Ford children, was born July 6, 1957. She attends Mount Vernon College in the District of Columbia and works part-time as a photographer. Susan was graduated in 1975 from Holton Arms School in Washington, D.C. Like her brothers, Susan is a skiing enthusiast. Her particular interests are photography, needlepoint, and plants. She also oversees care of the family pets, Shan, the Siamese cat; Liberty, a Golden Retriever; and Misty, Liberty's pup.


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