A PRESIDENTIAL
VISIT TO THE
WHITECAPS
GERALD R. FORD AND HIS VISIT TO OLD KENT PARK
Unfortunately, when the
Whitecaps fairly closely.”
to the West Michigan professional
AAGPBL folded in 1954, Ford would
baseball scene.
have to wait four decades until he
received another chance to see a
main motivations for attending a
professional baseball game in Grand
Whitecaps game – aside from his
Rapids.
continued love of baseball – was
Gerald R. Ford was no stranger
The Grand Rapids native and
38th President of the United States grew up a Detroit Tigers fan and
Chamberlin said one of Ford’s
the periodic teasing he endured
attended Grand Rapids Chicks
The West Michigan Whitecaps,
from one of his golfing buddies,
games after returning to the area
who debuted in 1994, hosted the
Peter Pocklington, who owned the
following World War II. As Patricia
former president during the 1995
Triple-A Edmonton Trappers of
Brown outlined in her 2003 memoir,
season. While the exact date is in
the Pacific Coast League and wasn’t
“A League of My Own,” Ford even
question, Whitecaps owner Lew
afraid to tout his team’s successes.
went to one All-American Girls
Chamberlin understandably called it
(Pocklington is perhaps best known
Professional Baseball League game
a thrill to host Ford and his friends at
as the man who traded hockey
with his future wife, Betty, while
what was then called Old Kent Park.
legend Wayne Gretzky.)
the Chicks happened to play on the
same field where Ford played football
touch with what was going on in
bragging about how well his team
while a student at Grand Rapids
his hometown,” Chamberlin said.
was doing and how well they drew,
South High School.
“Apparently, he had followed the
they were dating. Coincidentally, “He really stayed in close
“Pocklington was always