A “Champion swimmer” trophy awarded to Gerald
R. Ford at summer camp in 1927.
photo: A5406-07
President
Ford enjoys his first of what would become almost daily swims in
the brand new White House pool, just outside the Oval Office. July
1, 1975
President
Ford was comfortable around the photographers, and knew most of them by
name. He appreciated
both their cutting sense of humor and their absolute discretion. When
he tripped and fell down the steps of Air Force One arriving in Austria,
and the pictures of that embarrassing moment were in the papers around
the world, he said, ‘If they had missed the shot, they might have
lost their jobs.’