Brother Gerald Rudolph Ford                               

Thirty-eighth President of The United States of America - 1974-1977

                                        Both the Fellowcraft and Master Mason Degrees were conferred by Columbia Lodge
                                        as a courtesy to Malta Lodge.

Was initiated along with his half-brothers Thomas Gardner Ford (1918-1995), Richard Addison Ford (born -1924) and James Francis Ford (born -1927).

Brother Ford was made a Sovereign Grand Inspector General, 33°, and Honorary Member, Supreme Council A.A.S.R. Northern Jurisdiction at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, on September 26, 1962, for which he served as Exemplar (Representative) for his Class.

Brother and President Ford was unanimously elected an Active Member of the International Supreme Council, Order of DeMolay and its Honorary Grand Master, at its Annual Session held at Orlando, Florida, April 6-9, 1975; Brother Ford held this post until January 1977, at which time he became a Past Honorary Grand Master, receiving his Collar and Jewel on October 24, 1978 in Topeka, Kansas, from the HonorableThomas C. Raum, Jr., Grand Master, Order of DeMolay.

Brother Ford was the 14th Master Mason to serve as President of the United States of America. He shared this distinction with George Washington, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, James Polk, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, James Garfield, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, Warren Harding, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.

On February 17, 1975, President Ford said the following about his Masonic experience: "When I took my obligation as a Master Mason-- incidentally , with my younger brothers--I recalled the value my own father attached to that order. But I had no idea that I would ever be added to the company of the Father of our Country and 12 other members of the order who also served as Presidents of the United States.

Masonic principles-- internal, not external--and our Order's vision of duty to country and acceptance of God as a Supreme Being and guiding light have sustained me during my years of Government service. Today especially, the guidelines by which I strive to become an upright man in Masonry give me great personal strength.

Masonic precepts can help America retain our inspiring aspirations while adapting to a new age. It is apparent to me that the Supreme Architect has set out the duties each of us has to perform, and I have trusted in His will with the knowledge that my trust is well- founded."