December 27, 2006
BOB HOPE CLASSIC HOSTED BY GEORGE LOPEZ MOURNS PASSING OF PRESIDENT FORD
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - Among President Gerald R. Ford's favorite pastimes was playing golf. He played in the Bob Hope Classic for 23 years, the highlight coming in 1995, when he and Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush played with tournament host Bob Hope and professional Scott Hoch. It marked the first time a sitting president played in the Classic and the first time three presidents had played together.
Wednesday, tournament officials spoke fondly of Ford, who died this week.
"We are deeply saddened by the death of President Ford and want to extend our heartfelt sympathies to the Ford family," said John Foster, President of the Bob Hope Classic Hosted by George Lopez. "In addition to his service to the nation, President and Mrs. Ford made tremendous contributions to the charitable community in the Palm Springs area. We will be forever grateful."
"President Ford was a wonderful and generous supporter of the Bob Hope Classic for close to three decades," Foster said. "He played for 23 years, always displaying his warm down-to-earth demeanor on and off the golf course. He will always be a part of the Classic family.
"When I think back to our 1995 tournament with Bob and the three presidents, I marvel at the great time they had playing together - all very diverse personalities and giants in our culture high-fiveing President Ford's 15-foot putt on the last hole of the day."
Tournament chairman Steve Morton also lamented the loss of Ford, who meant so much to the tournament over the years.
"President Ford was a true friend of the Bob Hope Classic," Morton said. "The entire Classic family, Eisenhower Medical Center, and the other organizations we support are grateful for his commitment to the tournament, helping to make our remarkable record of charitable achievements possible."
In 47 years, the Classic has donated more than $43 million to local charities throughout the Coachella Valley. Chad Campbell is defending champion of the Bob Hope Classic Hosted by George Lopez, which will be played for the 48th time Jan. 16-21, 2007 on four courses in the Palm Springs area.
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The following pages include a transcript of a brief media conference held Wednesday at the tournament office.
Present: Right to Left:
- David J. Erwin - Tournament Executive Board Member
- Ernie Dunlevie - Tournament Executive Board Member
- John M. Foster - President and Tournament Chairman
- Steve Morton - Tournament Executive Board Member
Good afternoon. My name is John Foster. I am the 2007 Bob Hope Classic President and Tournament Chairman. Also present are members of the Executive Committee, Dave Erwin, Steve Morton and Ernie Dunlevie, founding director.
I have a little statement that reflects the tournament's feelings: "President Ford was a wonderful and generous supporter of the Bob Hope Classic for close to three decades. He played for twenty-three years, always displaying his warm, down-to-earth demeanor on and off the golf course. He will always be a part of the Classic family." This is something all of us have taken to heart as long as I have been part of the tournament. He has done us and this valley wonderful service by being part of this tournament. Ernie, founding director, knows more history than all three of us.
Question: What did you think of President Ford personally?
John Foster: He was a down-to-earth gentleman. He carried himself that way on and off the course. He amazed me…I met him one time, and a year later, he came up and called me by my first name. Those traits are very heartfelt. He always felt his community and country were of vast importance, and we were very lucky to have him as part of our tournament - a great gift he has given us.
Ernie Dunlevie: He was dedicated to the entire valley and certainly to the Bob Hope Classic. He always played in the tournament and drew huge galleries. He was a foil for Bob Hope's jokes and a willing foil at that. One year when Bob was sick and could not attend, President Ford took over for him as a stand-up comedian, and used Bob Hope lines. That showed his dedication to the valley. He always called you by your first name; he was an absolute gentleman at all times, a really nice guy.
Question: Will the Tournament be doing anything special to honor President Ford at the tournament?
Steve Morton: Yes, of course we will. I had the privilege of playing with him twice and he was a lot better golfer than perceived. He wanted to play as well as he could. He was competitive, and we are all so fortunate that the tournament was important to him and he made a major impact on our ability to raise money for the Eisenhower Medical Center and other charities. He helped us achieve the remarkable record of charitable giving we have - a legacy here in the community.
John Foster: For us, one of the proudest moments we have had (and we have had fabulous stars like Frank Sinatra), but having the president of the United States and especially this president, come down here in the desert right after his term was very unique. He immediately came in and became a good part of this community. Everyone who ran into him felt that he did not look to raise himself above anyone else; he came out and was a regular guy. Everyone has fond memories and always will.
Question: The three presidents-what role did President Ford have in making it possible?
John Foster: He brought together three presidents and Bob Hope, and there was a lot of "conversation" between Clinton and Bush during the election. President Ford came out and was very open on the 10th tee, getting everyone together, all these diverse and unique personalities. All four were very unique and remarkable. This was Bob's last 18 holes in the tournament and it was very nice to see the warmth among all of them. They stood 15 and 20 foot putts and you could see the presidents high-fiving each other. It was great to see the camaraderie they all had for each other.
Steve Morton: We set a precedent by having a sitting president play in a PGA Tour event. Ford was a much better player than the public knows. In this year's official program, he wrote a wonderful letter. With his love of the University of Michigan, the Rose Bowl will be a special one this year. He loved college football and the University of Michigan.
Question: What will Mrs. Ford's involvement be?
John Foster: Both were always together. Although both were very strong personalities, they never trampled on each other or anyone else. Mrs. Ford has done so much for this community and the world. We have loved having them as neighbors. If you will look through this community - from the Cultural Center to all the Boys and Girls Clubs to small charities - he was a welcome helper, and although he was retired and very busy, he always had time to send something or lend his name to numerous charities - all the big ones but there are many more small charities he worked with and those especially appreciate his contribution.
Question: What will you miss the most?
Dave Erwin: I did not have the opportunity to play with President Ford, although I did play in a lot of events where he was the honorary chairman or where he actually participated. Not only has the Ford family suffered a tremendous loss, but the valley as well because of his many activities and always willing to help and assist in any way he could.
Question: What were the first and last years he played?
Steve Morton: 1977 was the first year he played and 1998 was the last. He wanted to keep involved.
Question: What was his handicap and his level of golfing skills?
Steve Morton: He was a strong, competitive 14 and was a surprisingly good player.
John Foster: He was an offensive lineman, so he did not quite have the agile feet and fluid swing, but he was a very good player and could putt very well and would shoot the lights out of the greens. He played the role as the foil from the time Chevy Chase started with his routine on Saturday Night Life and Bob did tease him about that. Everyone got along with him. As you see the photos of him with the presidents in 1995, all the presidents were laughing and giggling.
Question: What was President Ford's role in the tournament?
Steve Morton: Bob Hope was the "host" of the tournament. President Forod was an active participant even when he could not play anymore. Every year he has written a wonderful letter. He sends nice notes apologizing when he could not be here. He helped with the trophy presentation with Mrs. Hope for several years.
Question: Was he a gregarious guy?
Ernie Dunlevie: He was not gregarious but had a good sense of humor and when you played with him, he loved to kid you without making you mad in any way. He and I ended up one time in the same sand trap and both of us had trouble getting out since we both had had knee replacements. (He) liked to kid around as well.
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