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Preparations Underway for Funeral of Former President Ford
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1585FD4:A6F02AD83191E160AE3B565EEC1D30AC9574F7DCC14957C0 Gerald Ford, who
died Tuesday at the age of 93, was the only American to serve as both
president and vice president without being elected to either office





Former President Gerald Ford (1988 file photo)Preparations are
underway for a state funeral for former U.S. President Gerald Ford,
who died Tuesday at the age of 93.

Federal officials have announced five days of memorial services in Mr.
Ford's honor, beginning with a private ceremony near his home in
California on Friday.

Mr. Ford's casket then will be flown to Washington where he will lie
in state in the Capitol Rotunda. A state funeral will be held Saturday
evening, followed by a funeral service at the National Cathedral in
Washington on Tuesday.

The former president's body will then be taken to his hometown in
Michigan, where he will be buried at his presidential library
Wednesday.

He was the only American to serve as both president and vice president
without being elected to either office. Mr. Ford was appointed
vice-president by former President Richard Nixon in 1973, and became
the 38th president of the United States when Mr. Nixon resigned under
threat of impeachment in 1974.

Mr. Ford served only two-and-a-half years in the White House, but he
is credited with helping reassure Americans following the Vietnam war
and the Watergate political scandal that forced Mr. Nixon from office.

On Wednesday, President Bush praised Mr. Ford as a man of "complete
integrity" who commanded the respect and earned the goodwill of many.


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