My Peculium from President Ford

President Gerald Ford was buried today in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His was a fitting farewell, both in Washington D.C. and in Grand Rapids, to a real Gentleman. A man to whom politics was a way of serving his country rather than an avenue to power and personal prosperity, the motivation for most politicians today.

I have had the privilege to meet three famous Fords in my lifetime.

In the Fall of 1946 as a young teenager working on a construction site with my cousin Don Lear in Dearborn, Michigan, Mr. Ford's personal Limo driver enlisted our crew to go to Mr. Ford's Fairlane Estate just a short distance from where we were working, and help unload large rolls of new carpeting that had been delivered at the estate. When we were finished, Mr. Ford came out front and asked Don for a slip of paper. Don gave him a blank note paper and Mr. Ford wrote a check on it for $200.00 and told Don to "go to any bank and they will give you your money". I have never forgotten this meeting. Much later, during my Michigan ministry, there were several occasions where I performed weddings in the Rose garden at Ford's Fairlane (it was donated to the University of Michigan) estate and would walk to the front portico and think of that day.

The second Ford was William D. Ford, Congressman from my district in Taylor, Michigan in the 60's, 70's, and 80's; the same time Gerald R. Ford represented Grand Rapids. I knew him when he was a Justice of the Peace in Taylor before it became a city. He performed my marriage to Wanda, in Taylor when I came home from Korea after the war. He was my friend.

Then in 1976 I met the President Gerald R. Ford.

In January 1976, my friend, Rev. David Rice, pastor of Franconia Baptist Church, Franconia, Virginia (a suburb of Washington, D. C. in Northern Virginia), invited me to come to Virginia to preach a revival for him. In his congregation were several members of the Capital Police force, Christians who held a prayer service once a month in a room in the East wing of the White House. I was asked to come and speak to them. When I arrived, and before I spoke, Mr. Ford came into the room as I was introduced as a pastor from Michigan. He greeted me warmly as I recall, then he was gone. Later in the day I received my cherished Peculium! It is a Gold Tie Bar engraved With the name Gerald R. Ford with the Presidential seal on the end in 18 Carat gold with blue insert. I wear it rarely now, only on special occasions.

By the way, in ancient Roman times when a slave was rewarded for good service he was given a piece of property for his very own possession; it was called "a peculium"! In the Bible christians are called "a peculiar people" by Peter in I Peter 2:9; understood to mean, "a people for His (Christ's) possession".

These have been FirstCoastmusings by Gerald W. Stokes.

FYI; My previous blogs may still be found on the site; geraldstokes.blogspot.com