Ford Photographer Remembers His Friend

When Gerald Ford became president, he agreed to give unlimited access to photographer Fred Ward, who took thousands of pictures during the first two months of the Ford administration.

The photos later became a book called "Portrait of a President," and Ward became a friend of the Ford family.

President Ford died at 93 last Tuesday at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He is being remembered as a president who helped heal the nation in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Ford assumed the presidency after Richard Nixon resigned. He pardoned the president before he could be charged with any crimes and was criticized by many members of the media.

In that atmosphere, it wasn't easy for Ward to gain the access he did. He had to go through Ford's press secretary, Ron Nesson, who didn't want Ward to be able to snap away with abandon, but Ford trusted him. Ward was able to take candid shots of the president with his family. He captured the special relationship Ford enjoyed with his daughter, Susan, and also the playful one he had with his wife. In one photo, Ward shows former first lady Betty Ford pushing her late husband into the pool at Camp David.

"It was an amazing event," Ward told The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith. "Betty came by while I was watching the president, just right at the edge of the pool, Betty came by and said, 'Get ready for something.' And I was. And she walked right over to him, even though he was fully clothed, and pushed him into the pool, because the dog was already in the pool. So he went in and swam around for a little while, and then later, not much later, they pushed Ron Nessen in the pool, too. But they had a great rapport. It was marvelous to watch."

Ward photographed many presidents. He began his career taking photos of President John F. Kennedy and stopped in 1992. He said he had never seen anyone like President Ford.

"He had a style, he had an honesty, he had a demeanor that is not typical of presidents," Ward said. "Normally they are difficult to be around at close range — they don't like it, they're apprehensive. And he had none of those characteristics."