Just saw that Mrs Ford passed away today at the age of 93.

In addition to being the former First Lady of the US, she is also the namesake of the Betty Ford Clinic.

R.I.P. Betty.

R.I.P Betty  :\'(

I just heard this.  So sad!  :\'(  :\'(  :\'(

R.I.P. Betty Ford - you will be greatly missed

She was more than the Betty Ford clinic.  She talked about breast cancer when it was a taboo subject, she was a liberal First Lady, married to a conservative President, who refused to be cowed by the Republicans in public speech and public views.  She made the world a better place for many who don't even realize it.  Betty was a class act from the word go.  RIP Betty  :\'(

http://news.yahoo.com/former-first-lady-betty-ford-dies-93-012148379.html


LOS ANGELES (AP) — Betty Ford said things that first ladies just don't say, even today. And 1970s America loved her for it.

According to Mrs. Ford, her young adult children probably had smoked marijuana — and if she were their age, she'd try it, too. She told "60 Minutes" she wouldn't be surprised to learn that her youngest, 18-year-old Susan, was in a sexual relationship (an embarrassed Susan issued a denial).

She mused that living together before marriage might be wise, thought women should be drafted into the military if men were, and spoke up unapologetically for abortion rights, taking a position contrary to the president's. "Having babies is a blessing, not a duty," Mrs. Ford said.


...In an era when cancer was discussed in hushed tones and mastectomy was still a taboo subject, the first lady shared the specifics of her breast cancer surgery. The publicity helped bring the disease into the open and inspired countless women to seek breast examinations.



..."I was somebody, the first lady," she wrote later. "When I spoke, people listened."

She used her newfound influence to lobby aggressively for the Equal Rights Amendment, which failed nonetheless, and to speak against child abuse, raise money for handicapped children, and champion the performing arts.

She told "60 Minutes" she wouldn't be surprised to learn that her youngest, 18-year-old Susan, was in a sexual relationship (an embarrassed Susan issued a denial)....

Yeah back when this story hit the newspapers, I kept my mouth shut about it too.  ;)

RIP both Gerarld and Betty. :\'(

She was more than the Betty Ford clinic.  She talked about breast cancer when it was a taboo subject, she was a liberal First Lady, married to a conservative President, who refused to be cowed by the Republicans in public speech and public views.  She made the world a better place for many who don't even realize it.  Betty was a class act from the word go.  RIP Betty   :\'(





Yeah, what she said. ^



Cat

Rest in peace, Mrs. Ford. 

...In an era when cancer was discussed in hushed tones and mastectomy was still a taboo subject, the first lady shared the specifics of her breast cancer surgery. The publicity helped bring the disease into the open and inspired countless women to seek breast examinations.



Mrs. Ford's legacy in millions of saved lives from early detection caught in routine breast cancer screenings. 

R.I.P. Betty.
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/15/tearyeyed.gif

And now...both Gerald and Betty Ford are reunited.

And now...both Gerald and Betty Ford are reunited.


in heaven.