Former First Lady Betty Ford has passed away. The newspaper of the city of her birth, the Chicago Tribune, has a nice piece on a truly unique individual:

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).

The link on the “Betty Ford” starting the article is a cool resource for those wanting more: it goes to a bunch of stories the Tribune has done on Ford over the years.

Condolences to the family and friends of Betty Ford, from all of us at the BRI.

****

P.S. UJBR factoid:  In 1975 Betty Ford became the first First lady to appear in a cameo role  on a television sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show.