The media was always kind of hard on him, but to his credit, he had an awesome sense of humor about it. I still remember back when "Saturday Night Live" first started, the way Chevy Chase used to take the rotten piss out of him as a fumbling and bumbling half-wit. Ford's press seceretary actually hosted the show once and Ford himself made an appearance during the "news" segment, mocking Chase's expected opening by saying "Hello, I'm Gerald Ford, and you're not." I think it's a big man that can genuinely get in on the joke and laugh at himself like that.

Rest in peace, Mr. President.

I heard another (probably apocryphal) that Chevy Chase was invited to an awards banquet in Washington (White House, maybe). Ford came out, bumped into the table, pulled on the tablecloth and dumped it all over Chase, then said, "Good evening, I'm Chevy Chase and you're not."

Probably not true but I still love it.

I think what I admire most about President Ford is that, whether you agree with his pardoning Nixon or not, he did it knowing it was almost certain to destroy his political future, and yet did despite that because he believed it was the right thing for the country. He was not really a great president, but he was a great man and the right person for that time.