Community leaders in the Vail Valley quietly began planning a local memorial service for former President Ford on Wednesday, while elected officials and others praised Ford’s efforts to bring prestige and attention to Vail and Colorado.
“Coloradans, especially those in the Vail Valley, think of him as the first Colorado president,” Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said in a statement. “…President Ford was a great ambassador for Colorado, and for that we will always consider him to be one of us.”
Ford long held a soft spot for the Vail area, owning a condominium there and then a house. As the president’s health declined, the Fords moved their belongings out of their stately home on Elk Track Court and placed the house on the market in recent weeks.
“Everybody here today has kind of taken a step back and taken stock for just exactly what President Ford has meant to this valley, individually and collectively,” said John Dakin, a spokesman for the Vail Valley Foundation, which is planning the Eagle County memorial. “Everybody pretty much feels like they’ve lost a friend.”
The Vail Valley Foundation is planning a candlelight tribute and memorial service at 6 p.m. Saturday at the base of Golden Peak.
“We really feel that anyone in the community, whether they be residents or guests, should be able to participate in this,” he said. “So it will most probably be outside. President Ford had a great love of this place, for the skiing and the winter activities. So I think there will be some element of that.”
Rob Katz, chief executive of Vail Resorts, announced Wed nesday that the company will rename a ski run at Vail and Beaver Creek resorts in Ford’s honor.
“President Ford truly exemplified the values of our community and what makes it such a special place to live and visit,” Katz said in a statement.
Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., also paid tribute to Ford, who, like Salazar, graduated from the University of Michigan. Cody Wertz, Sala zar’s spokesman, said Ford and the senator often exchanged letters or phone calls after Salazar took office, discussing higher-education issues and other things.
“He is a true statesman whose life and example should inspire Americans for generations to come,” Salazar said in a statement. “…I will miss him, and our country will miss him.”
Staff writer John Ingold can be reached at 720-929-0898 or jingold@denverpost.com.
