Jack Ford: Everyday People Helping Us Heal

The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith meets many celebrities in the course of his work, but says he came away truly touched after a chance encounter Sunday with Jack Ford, son of the late president, Gerald Ford.

"Yesterday afternoon," he told viewers Monday during coverage of Mr. Ford's funeral, "we were here doing some work in preparation for today's show, and somebody said, 'Well, there's not much of a line (waiting to see Mr. Ford lying in state) at the Capitol.' "

"So, I jumped in the car and ran down. I stood in line with all of these folks who had — some had spent time in the rain waiting to go pay respects to the president. It was so interesting to just hear why they were there and why they felt it was important for them to come and see the president.

"And, as I got through the line, I actually got to see (Gerald's son) Jack Ford and (former New York Mayor) Rudy Giuliani.

" … Jack was just incredible. I said, 'Why do you feel it's important for you and the other family members to stand here in the Capitol?' And he said, 'I wanted to be able to look these people in the eye.' And he said, 'They said to me, why it was so important that my father was — had been their president.'

"And he said, 'You can't know how much that does to … the healing of my own personal grief and for the grief of the rest of the family.'

"So, it was an extraordinary moment just to be able to stand in line with all of those folks, and then be able to have this conversation with Jack Ford. Just stunning."

Smith's fellow anchor, Hannah Storm, with Smith in Washington covering the funeral, added: "You can only imagine, Harry, how healing it is for that family to see how, now, all of these decades later, so many people appreciate what their father did and what a great healing leader he was for this country and what a thoroughly decent man he was."