Susan Ford Bales

>> Produced by women about women, powerful women.

Let's talk is a series of interviews with women who are trailblazers and have helped sheep are wanting to informing who we are and how we live.

>> With this powerful woman needs no introduction from her present advocacy on stage sharing her life and White House memories to hometown audiences pass wearing hats is Chairs, a pretty big ship sponsor.

Trustee Service, too, of course, for everywhere in the title of favorite daughter of President Gerald and Betty Ford.

We share a conversation with Susan Ford Bales on this edition of powerful women.

Let's talk about that introduction.

Never gets old Susan.

No, but would you introduce me everyday people record that?

Well, you know, I have my sources and certainly it's all true in and all positive.

And yet there's probably still more for you to do.

Susan, Glad you're here.

Boy, question you have had before.

Let's get into it.

Earliest memories of you of your childhood.

Bring me back a there.

They would be back in Alexandria, Virginia, I guess 5, 6, Ish playing basketball with my brothers on the street.

My brothers used to take the rollers off my roller skates to make skate boards for themselves.

I mean, getting yourself, I know that really dates us, but it it just being in the neighborhood and being in Alexandria.

I mean, that was, you know, that was what you're doing.

Yes.

And for those who need a little one-on-one, at what point did you live in the White House age wise, your with you?

>> I was a a senior in high school.

So I was 17 and really, you know, what senior in high school really wants that kind of notoriety or tension prone to would be the best way to put it.

I want to be a senior in high school like every other kid in the United States.

And so that.

But look, it put a little cramp in my style, having Secret Service agents.

Again, it can imagine, but there still is a prom.

There was still a problem and we're still the only problem to ever be held at the White House.

Yes.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Well, I ended up getting into photojournalism because of David Kennerly, who was our White House photographer.

He gave me one of his F ones and said you need to start documenting this.

And I really took to it and I really liked it.

So then when I went off to college, I did some photo journalism classes and that sort of thing.

And then I went to work.

But I'm glad I did it that way.

But if I read it now, I would landscape architecture.

Can you do redo it now?

But that's another good enough for and will get to possibly the role of changing interests and in changing careers some how to get along with your brothers growing up.

They were brothers.

They were, you know, I got used to practice wrestling holds on and and my parents really raise dust in the era of if you pick your fight, you fight your fight because you're a girl.

I'm not going to intervene.

And, you know, don't don't do that because she's a girl that was that didn't work in our household.

So I was kind of a tomboy.

I was pretty tough.

And so I stood up for myself and still do.

>> Name a trait you take from your mom.

Name a trait you take from your dad.

>> A trait for my dad would be very punctual.

A trait for my mom would be one of my favorite quotes of hers is I have an independent streak in me and it's kind of hard to control an independent person independent.

What do you tell the kids that are going to grow up in the White House in these times?

You know, I am so lucky there was no 24, 7 media with not just there because I was a senior in high school and a freshman in college and into my sophomore year because I would have been a lot of trouble.

I think the advice I would give them is have a good time and experience as much as you can.

I traveled some with my parents, but I didn't get to go on all the trips because here was this thing called college and high school but just experience and sit back and watch and pay attention and it it.

It's a lot of fun.

It's a lot of work, but it's also a lot of fun.

Tell me about your daughters.

They both fit into the independent streak, kind of runs in the females in our family.

They they both work full-time and are married and have children and give gave me lovely, wonderful grandchildren.

But they are hardworking, very socially minded girls.

And I think they got that from their grandmother.

I will never forget one of my one of the favorite stories.

And I think it's an Richard Norton.

Smith says new book that's out a daughter and I will not name a name came home for Thanksgiving or it.

We were all in Palm Springs and she was living with her fiance its time and her uncles were giving her a hard time about doing that before she got married.

And my mother jumped in and just was like, excuse me, you all have no right to talk totally protected her and said she can do whatever she wants to do.

And it doesn't matter what you uncles have to say to her.

And I was like, that's my mom.

I was very, very proud of my daughter and my mom for sticking together.

Nice.

>> Former chair of the board, Betty Ford Center's for alcohol and drug abuse.

Can you count how many lives perhaps a human touched?

>> I would say when we were just the Betty Ford Center's, it was over 100,000 lives since the merger with Hazleton, because now it's Hazleton, Betty Ford Foundation, and we have more than 14 sites throughout the United States.

You know, we're probably a half million that we've saved because you're not only counting the patient's specter counting the family members and the family members are just as important and just the sickest patients which had to experience.

I did have to consent.

I I went to family.

I have been to family many times for other reasons.

And I am still attended 12 step meeting myself because good values, good information and it's helpful.

>> We'll stay on the topic of health.

Affects one may not know if I may have you had some cardiac issues in your life.

>> Yes, I did.

13 years ago, 2010 I went into cardiac arrest and that's not AFib.

It's what they call the VFib.

That's called the widow maker.

I was exercising at the gym and was on a elliptical machine and collapsed and luckly a thoracic surgeon was there and shocked me back.

But I ignored every recommendation that you hear.

I was 52 years old.

I had pain in my arm, the job, the whole 9 yards that morning and I ignored it.

And I went is just a cold drizzly day in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and I pulled some muscles in my shoulder from bringing firewood in.

I learned a let's go quickly.

But the good news was I had no heart damage.

So I there was no heart damage.

And I cleaned up my life a lot since then.

Thanks for that.

>> What does Grand Rapids mean to you, West Michigan, mean to you?

>> You know, it's a really special place and it's like coming home, even though I never lived here because I get to see Cousins and family members.

I always go to the tune it today at the luncheon.

It was great hearing dad's voice.

I love going to the museum to hear their voices.

It just you know, I spent my summers here as a kid.

You up in Holland at the lake and it just has a really special place in my heart.

Thank you for sharing that.

So a prom in the White House.

Did you have a date?

Absolutely.

Billie Piper.

See then where you are now?

I don't know.

I do.

He's still in Winchester, Virginia.

So how does it feel to be have named 2 of the named an honorary naval aviator?

You know, that was really an amazing and a surprise.

I was I was not expecting that from then.

Captain Myers.

Now a rear admiral it was also happened on my mother's birth.

And so that was it was just an amazing surprise, John and I had work so hard on the ship, getting it ready.

And, you know, picking out all of the emblems and how we were going to do things and then and having worked all those years with the shipbuilders before it joined that before it was commissioned and join the Navy.

And it was just probably one of the nicest honors that I've ever received.

That was, you know, my dad always said when he found out that the carrier was going to be named after it, he never expected it.

He was his name and there were several other names in the hat for that particular carrier.

And he was just blown away, especially when he died 6 weeks later.

So I would feel the same way.

It was an honor that I never expected.

And it was one of the nice a surprise that I ever got.

>> How does a young lady find her passion?

Both of us perhaps want to different careers in your early late teens.

How does she of go with the flow?

If that's?

>> Let's put it.

Well, you know, to me nothing needs to be written in Stone I think we all need the chance for a do-over.

Change our minds.

I mean, did I really know that 19?

But I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I thought I did.

But I really didn't get what I don't think it was until after I had children and things like that, that I really in my late 20's that I really had a feeling for what I wanted to do and what brought me, joy.

And that's part of it.

What what brings you, joy?

Still under bucket lifts list, Susan, right now us travel because I didn't travel a lot.

We didn't travel a lot as a family outside of the United States.

One of the places in the United States is the Grand Canyon.

I have not been to the Grand Canyon.

Shame on me.

I'm headed to Greece to share headed to Egypt next year.

I've never been to Italy.

So I have a lot of European travel to do is make sure passports up today.

It is for each it is those.

>> Lastly, how can our community continue to hold the memories of of the Ford Family Alive?

>> Wow.

I think this community is doing a great job of it to begin with, you know, with the museum and and all of that.

And you have to to and I mean, their buildings, their airports named after him.

I mean, it's so funny because when I board a plane and they they say you're headed to Grand Rapids.

I want to go in the Gerald R Ford airports.

The most people don't know that'’s me, my family.

But I I think Western Michigan really stands out and does a good job of representing him and is always very kind and very thoughtful about both my parents.

I mean, I look at what Mary free bed and my grandmother, you know, being involved in Mary Free bed.

And then my mother and all of that.

I mean, there's there's just so much history here in Grand Rapids.

And are you as good a dancer?

Is your mom?

Oh, heavens, no mask, no.

And then and then and now.

You have your talents Susan Ford Bales.

Thank you for this conversation.

Powerful in.

Let's talk to get him.

Thank you.