Betty Ford Dedicates Gerald R. Ford Stamp

Dedication Ceremonies in Palm Desert, CA, and Grand Rapids, MI

Download a 300 dpi image of the stamp at: http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2007stamps/downloadcenter.htm. Broadcast quality b-roll of the Gerald R. Ford stamp printing process is available via Pathfire and standard broadcast through the USPS Newsroom at http://www.usps.com/news. An audio news release is also available through this link.

WASHINGTON, DC — Former First Lady Betty Ford joined Postmaster General John E. Potter today to dedicate the Gerald R. Ford commemorative stamp in Palm Desert, CA, at the McCallum Theater. A similar dedication ceremony took place in Grand Rapids, MI, at the President Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. The stamp honoring the Nation's 38th President is available nationwide today, August 31, 2007.

“President Ford would be so grateful for the magnificent honor that the Postal Service has created in tribute to his decades of service to the American people,” said Mrs. Betty Ford. “The stamp wonderfully portrays his strength, warmth, and compassion. My family and I are filled with pride and gratitude for this remarkable tribute to our beloved husband, father, and grandfather.”

Mrs. Ford was joined at the McCallum Theatre ceremony by her children Jack Ford and Susan Ford Bales and by several of her grandchildren.

President and Mrs. Ford's son Michael Ford dedicated the stamp in Grand Rapids with U.S. Postal Service Executive Director Rosa Fulton. President Ford's brother, Richard A. Ford, was present at the Grand Rapids dedication.

“We owe President Ford an immense debt of gratitude,” said Postmaster General Potter, “as a man who put his nation first; as a man who was guided by what he read in his heart, and as a man who succeeded in his goal to make this great government work for the good of all Americans.”

The Postal Service produced 80 million 41-cent stamps in sheets of 20. Award winning stamp artist Michael J. Deas of Brooklyn Heights, NY, created the stamp under the direction of stamp designer Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD.

Additional contact:

Grand Rapids, MI, Contact: Patricia Licata 202-268-2783
cell: 202-262-3208
patricia.licata@usps.gov

# # #

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation, 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $73 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.