SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

Material compiled by Porter and her assistant during the scheduling of activities and domestic trips for Mrs. Ford and the Ford children. Included are files concerning invitations extended to Betty Ford and the Ford children, presidential primary campaign activity, honorary affiliations, and scenarios and fact sheets on First Family activities.

QUANTITY
9.6 linear feet (ca. 19,200 pages)

DONOR
Gerald R. Ford (accession number 77-53, 78-11)

ACCESS
Open. Some items are temporarily restricted under terms of the donor's deed of gift, a copy of which is available on request, or under National Archives and Records Administration general restrictions (36 CFR 1256).

COPYRIGHT
Gerald Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain.

Prepared by Leesa Tobin, April 1988
[s:\bin\findaid\porter, susan - files.doc]

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Susan A. Porter

1941 - Born, Cincinnati, Ohio

1963 - B.A., Earlham College

1966-71 - Assistant Director of Admissions, Mount Holyoke College

1970 - M.S., Indiana State University

1971-72 - Assistant Director of Correspondence for the First Lady

1972-73 - Assistant to Appointments Secretary for the First Lady

1973-77 - Appointments Secretary to the First Lady

1977-? - Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General of the Office for Improvements in the Administration of Justice, Department of Justice

1980 - Married to Jonathan Chapman Rose

1980-? - Staff, Assistant Attorney General for Administration, Department of Justice

1980-? - Staff, Office of Vice President, George Bush

INTRODUCTION

The Susan Porter files include correspondence, memoranda, schedules, calendars, fact sheets and scenarios compiled by Porter during her tenure as appointments secretary to Mrs. Ford and the Ford children from August 1974 until January 1977. Porter began working in the White House in 1971.

As appointments secretary Porter and her assistant, Sally Runion, organized schedules for Mrs. Ford and the Ford children. All incoming invitations were delivered to Porter's office and screened for likely events in which the First Family might wish to participate. These "possibles" were organized and passed along to the Fords for their consideration in consultation with the First Lady's press secretary, Sheila Weidenfeld, and members of the West Wing staff. After a decision was made Porter responded by letter or telephone to the issuing party. Invitations were extended to the Ford family from numerous and widely diverse individuals and groups. Porter typically responded to more than 500 invitations for Mrs. Ford alone each month. The Ford children, especially Susan, also received many invitations although fewer than their popular mother.

Planning and organization of activities for family members became particularly important during the presidential primary campaign. Often Mrs. Ford and all four children would be traveling simultaneously. Porter's files for these events include scenarios and press materials in addition to the invitation and preliminary planning materials. Material on most of these campaign events is also located in the files of Press Secretary Sheila Weidenfeld.

Another important aspect of Porter's work was to keep an accurate calendar for each family member and inform the West Wing staff about scheduled First Family appearances and trips. She also kept records as to which honorary affiliations family members had accepted. The Administrative Subject File and the Memoranda File in this collection document how this was accomplished.

Related Materials (April 1988)
Additional material concerning Mrs. Ford's public appearances is available in the files of her press secretary, Sheila Weidenfeld and speechwriter, Kaye Pullen, as well as the Betty Ford Papers. The White House Central Files Subject File category for Mrs. Ford (PP 5-1), contains similar material.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Administrative Subject File, 1974-77.  (Boxes 1-9, 3.6 linear feet)
Memoranda, correspondence, agendas, invitation logs, calendars, advance material, scenarios and card files compiled by Porter in planning the First Lady's schedule and those of the Ford children. Much of the material concerns events the Fords attended during the 1976 presidential primary campaign. Also included is background on awards and honorary affiliations accepted and declined by Mrs. Ford and the children and detailed activity calendars for each family member.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Memoranda File, 1974-77.  (Boxes 10-13, 1.6 linear feet)
Memoranda between Porter and White House staffers, other government offices and the President Ford Committee concerning schedule planning for the First Family. Also filed here is extensive material concerning coordination of the First Lady's schedule with that of the President.

Arranged alphabetically by corresponding individual or office.

View container list for this series

Invitation Response File, 1974-77. (Boxes 14-24, 4.4 linear feet)
An extensive file of carbon copies of responses to invitations for the First Lady and the Ford children. Most of these responses are form letters. The original incoming correspondence is filed in the White House Social Files which are currently unprocessed and unavailable for research.

For 1974, 1975 and 1977 responses to invitations for the First Lady are filed chronologically. Files for 1976 are organized by state. Files for each of the Ford children are arranged chronologically.

View container list for this series

CONTAINER LIST

Box 1 - Administrative Subject File

• Administration Wives
• Awards - Ford, Betty - Accept
• Awards - Ford, Betty - Decline
• Campaign Events
  - 1976/02/24-28 - Florida - Ford, Betty (1)-(3)
  - 1976/03/02-05 - Illinois - Ford, Jack
  - 1976/03/08 - Florida - Ford, Jack
  - 1976/03/09-12 - Arizona and California - Ford, Betty (1)-(4)
  - 1976/03/29 - Wisconsin - Ford, Jack
  - 1976/04/05 - Wisconsin - Ford, Betty
  - 1976/04/12-14 - Texas - Ford, Jack (1)-(2)

Box 2 - Administrative Subject File

• Campaign Events
  - 1976/04/19-22 - Texas - Ford, Betty (1)-(2)
  - 1976/04/22-23 - Nebraska - Ford, Jack
  - 1976/04/25 - 1976/05/02 - Azalea Festival - Ford, Susan (1)-(2)
  - 1976/04/26-27 - Texas - Ford, Jack
  - 1976/04/29-30 - New York and Indiana - Ford, Betty
  - 1976/05/04-07 - Ohio, California, Nebraska - Ford, Betty (1)-(2)
  - 1976/05/14-18 - Michigan - Ford, Jack
  - 1976/05/15-16 - Michigan - Ford, Betty
  - 1976/05/19-21 - Oregon - Ford, Steven
  - 1975/05/21-22 - Ohio - Ford, Jack
  - 1976/05/21 - 1976/06/05 - New Jersey and California - Ford, Jack
  - 1976/05/27-28 - New Jersey and Ohio - Ford, Betty
  - 1976/06/04-08 - California - Ford, Betty
  - 1976/06/08-10 - Colorado, Ford, Jack
  - 1976/07/16-17 - Connecticut - Ford, Jack

Box 3 - Administrative Subject File

• Campaign Schedules
• Campaign Schedules - Ford, Jack (1)-(2)
• Campaign Schedules - Ford, Michael
• Campaign Schedules - Ford, Steven
• Campaign Schedules - Ford, Susan
• Distribution Lists
• East Wing Staff
• Honorary Affiliations - Children - Accept
• Honorary Affiliations - Children - Decline
• Honorary Affiliations - Ford, Betty - Accept (1)-(6)

Box 4 - Administrative Subject File

• Honorary Affiliations - Ford, Betty - Decline (1)-(2)
• Honorary Degrees - Ford, Betty - Decline
• Invitation Logs (1)-(11)

Box 5 - Administrative Subject File

• Photo Opportunity - Lupus Foundation (1)-(3)
• Photo Opportunity - National Women's Party
• Photo Opportunity - National Women's Political Caucus
• President's Schedule (1)-(5)
• Proposed Events

Box 6 - Administrative Subject File

• Scenarios (1)-(10)

Box 7 - Administrative Subject File

• Scenarios (11)-(22)

Box 8 - Administrative Subject File

• Schedules - Ford, Betty
• Schedules - Ford, Jack
• Schedules - Ford, Michael
• Schedules - Ford, Steve
• Schedules - Ford, Susan
• Washington Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (1)-(4)
• White House Events - Fact Sheets (1)-(2)

Box 9 - Administrative Subject File

• First Family Activities - Card File
• Honorary Affiliations - Ford, Betty - Card File

Box 10 - Memoranda File

• Advance Office
• Advance Office - Events - Ford, Betty (1)-(10)

Box 11 - Memoranda File

• Advance Office - Events - Ford, Jack (1)-(2)
• Advance Office - Events - Ford, Michael
• Advance Office - Events - Ford, Steven
• Advance Office - Events - Ford, Susan (1)-(2)
• Bicentennial Office
• Congressional Liaison
• Curator's Office
• Domestic Council
• East Wing (1)-(3)
• Flower Shop
• Gift Unit
• Editorial Office

Box 12 - Memoranda File

• Kennedy Center
• Legal Office
• Leonard, Mildred
• Lukash, Dr. William
• Miscellaneous
• National Endowment for the Arts
• National Security Council (1)-(2)
• Photo Office (1)-(3)
• President Ford Committee (1)-(4)
• Usher's Office

Box 13 - Memoranda File

• White House Maintenance
• White House Supply
• Visitors Office (1)-(2)
• West Wing - Scheduling (1)-(7)
• Women's Affairs

Box 14 - Invitation Response File

• Ford, Betty, Aug.-Nov. 1974

Box 15 - Invitation Response File

• Ford, Betty, Dec. 1974-March 1975

Box 16 - Invitation Response File

• Ford, Betty, April-June 1975

Box 17 - Invitation Response File

• Ford, Betty, July-Sept. 1975

Box 18 - Invitation Response File

• Ford, Betty, Oct.-Dec. 1975

Box 19 - Invitation Response File

• Ford, Betty, 1976 - Alabama - District of Columbia

Box 20 - Invitation Response File

• Ford, Betty, 1976 - District of Columbia - Massachusetts

Box 21 - Invitation Response File

• Ford, Betty, 1976 - Michigan - New York

Box 22 - Invitation Response File

• Ford, Betty, 1976 - North Carolina - Texas

Box 23 - Invitation Response File

• Ford, Betty, 1976 - Utah - Wyoming
• Ford, Betty, 1976 - Congressional Endorsements
• Ford, Betty, 1976 - International
• Ford, Betty, 1977 (1)-(3)

Box 24 - Invitation Response File

• Ford, Jack (1)-(3)
• Ford, Michael
• Ford, Steven
• Ford, Susan (1)-(9)