This blogateer was swimming in the lovely Lakes of Michigan (okay, a swimming pool at a hotel in Michigan) when she got the news of Mrs. Ford’s death yesterday at the age of 93.

This news came, curiously, just a short time after a visit to the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, MI.  It is clear to any visitor to the center that Mrs. Ford was an inspiring and courageous woman.

Betty Ford was born in Chicago but grew up in Grand Rapids.  As a young woman, she spent several years studying modern dance under Martha Graham in New York City.

She eventually returned home to Michigan and worked as a part-time dance teacher and fashion coordinator at a department store.

She then met Jerry Ford, an up-and-coming attorney, returned from World War II.  They married in 1948 – just two years before Ford was elected to his first term as a US Representative.

Betty followed her husband to Washington D.C. as Representative, Minority Leader, Vice President, and eventually President, raising their four children Michael, Jack, Steve, and Susan.

When Betty Ford became First Lady, she brought both candor, courage, and a sense of normalcy to the position.

Shortly into her husband’s term, Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Her struggle with the disease and her mastectomy  became a public concern. She became a symbol of hope for cancer victims across the nation. A courageous act at a time when pink ribbons weren’t the ubiquitous symbols they are today.

Later in her life, she also discussed publicly her struggle with drug and alcohol abuse and founded the Betty Ford Center, a well-regarded treatment facility initially founded to focus specifically on the addiction needs of women.

Betty Ford was also outspoken about many taboo topics of the day, including pre-marital sex, marijuana use, sharing a bed with her husband in the White House, and seeing a psychiatrist.  Check out her famous 60 Minutes interview to see Betty in action.

Politically, First Lady Ford was a champion for women’s rights – advocating across the country for the Equal Rights Amendment, supporting legal abortion, expressing how she wished her husband would be able to appoint a woman to the Supreme Court, and encouraging him to make more appointments of women and minorities.

She may have only been First Lady for 896 days, but Betty Ford’s openness with the American people carved her a place in the public’s heart.

Long after she and President Ford left the White House, Betty Ford remained an admired woman and will be remembered for her courage and spunk for many, many years.