BY KARL STAMPFL
Published September 12, 2006
Correction appended: This story incorrectly stated the location of the new Joan and Sanford Weill Hall. It is at State and Hill streets.
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Wave to Gerald Ford.
If you're walking near the new Gerald Ford School of Public Policy's Joan and Sanford Weill Hall at State and Hill streets, the former president and University alum may be able to see you on his computer monitor.
Ford checks a live video feed of the building every day, University President Mary Sue Coleman said in an interview last week.
Faculty and staff moved into the new location last month. It will be dedicated at a ceremony Oct. 13.
Provided that his health is strong, Ford has agreed to attend the ceremony.
"We're crossing our fingers," Coleman said.
Ford, 93, is the oldest living former president. His last hospital stay in the hospital was just over two weeks ago. Doctors performed an angioplasty to reduce or completely eliminate blockages in his coronary arteries. Ford returned to his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. after 10 days in the hospital.
Coleman said Ford told her that the thought of the new building has been the secret to his longevity.
"He's told us that the building is what's been keeping him alive for the last two years," Coleman said.
Ford is the University's most prominent alum. He played center for the football team, most notably during the undefeated seasons of 1932 and 1933. He was also a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and Michigamua, the controversial secret society of the University's elite.
Following graduation, he refused offers from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, choosing to attend Yale Law School.
Ford attended the 80,000-square-foot building's groundbreaking in November 2004. At the ceremony, Ford spoke for less than five minutes. He told stories about his time on campus.
"I came to U-M in 1931 and brought a $100 check from the principal of my high school, who wanted to be damn sure I went to Ann Arbor," Ford said at the groundbreaking. "I have always been proud - very, very proud - of my association with this University."
