History likely will remember Gerald Ford as the president who pardoned Richard Nixon.
But, Ford’s greatest accomplishment may be one he attained long before reaching the White House: He made the rank of Eagle Scout.
On Dec. 17, 1924, Ford joined Boy Scout Troop 15 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Three years and 26 merit badges later, he was an Eagle Scout.
In 1974, following the resignation of Nixon, Ford assumed the presidency. While many are quick to remember him as the first person to become the nation’s chief executive who wasn’t elected as either president or vice president, the former House minority leader became the first Eagle Scout to serve as president.
“My early years as a Boy Scout were invaluable in helping to shape the course of my later life,” Ford wrote while president, according to the Boy Scouts of America.
“The three great principles which Scouting encourages – self-discipline, teamwork and moral and patriotic values – are the building blocks of character,” Ford wrote. “By working for these principles, those who belong to and support the Boy Scouts of America add greatly to the vitality of our society and to the future well-being of its people.”
Ford was honored in 1970 with the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award “for his service to the Nation and community.”
Four years later, on Dec. 2, 1974, the National Capitol Area Council in Washington honored Ford with the Scouter of the Year Award.
“President Gerald R. Ford never forgot his Boy Scout Oath and Law,” Michael D. Sulgrove, Scout executive of the Gerald R. Ford Council, Boy Scouts of America, said in a news release issued after the former president’s death. “I believe, in fact, that it was this Oath and Law that guided his daily actions and thinking as our nation’s leader.
“President Ford was often ‘blamed’ for being too much of a Boy Scout – a fact to which he quickly retorted by saying ‘more people need to act like Boy Scouts,’ ” Sulgrove said. “Our Council will forever be named in honor of this great leader. In our nation’s darkest hour of doubt and fear in the office of our President – it was an Eagle Scout who renewed our faith.”
After I attained the rank of Eagle Scout, Ford was one of many dignitaries who sent me congratulatory notes. The note Ford sent me – from one Eagle Scout to another – shows just how highly the ex-president thought of the honor.
“This is a very significant accomplishment and it will become more meaningful in the years ahead,” Ford wrote.
“In earning your Eagle Scout badge, you have demonstrated outstanding qualities of leadership and dedication,” he added. “The experience, knowledge and discipline you have acquired will be of immeasurable benefit in your future endeavors.”
