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{
    "localId": "1489361",
    "label": "12/6/74 - Receiving Christmas Tree",
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    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1489361"
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{
    "id": "1489361",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1489361",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "12/6/74 - Receiving Christmas Tree",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1489361",
    "collections": [
        "Sheila R. Weidenfeld Files (Ford Administration)",
        "Sheila Weidenfeld's Daily Events Files"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "President (1974-1977 : Ford). Office of the First Lady. 1974-1977",
        "Holidays"
    ],
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    "naId": 1489361,
    "coverageEndDate": {
        "logicalDate": "1974-12-31",
        "month": 12,
        "year": 1974
    },
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        "logicalDate": "1974-12-01",
        "month": 12,
        "year": 1974
    },
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{
    "seq": 1,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0126/644393/1489361.pdf",
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box 3, folder \"12/6/74 - Receiving Christmas Tree\"\nof the Sheila Weidenfeld Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nSome items in this folder were not digitized because it contains copyrighted\nmaterials. Please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library for access to\nthese materials.\nDate Issued 12/3/74\nBy S.Porter\nRevised\nFACT SHEET\nMrs. Ford's Office\nEvent\nArrival of Blue Room Christmas Tree\nGroup\nNational Christmas Tree Growers' Association\n11:15\nDATE/TIME\nFriday, December 6, 1974\n10:30 a.m.\nContact\nRex. Scouten\nPhone x2650\nNumber of guests: Total\n9\nWomen\nX\nMen\nX\nChildren\nPlace\nSouth Portico arrival/ Diplomatic Recept. Rm. Refreshments\nPrincipals involved\nMRS. FORD\nParticipation by Principal\nPhotos\n(Receiving line)\nRemarks required\nNo\nBackground Mr. Edward Cole is the 1975 National Grand Champion Grower\nfor 1974. He is from Mayville, Michigan. The tree is a\nconcolor fir, 19ᵗʰ feet tall and 12 feet at the base.\nREQUIREMENTS\nSocial:\nGuest list\nRex Scouten & Bill Timmons\nInvitations\nPrograms\nMenus\nRefreshments\nYes (Hot cider punch/cookies)\nEntertainment\nDecorations/flowers Yes, normal for Diplomatic Reception Room\nMusic\nSocial Aides\nDress\nCoat check\nOther\nPress:\nReporters\nYes\nPhotographers\nYes\nTV Crews\nYes\nWhite House Photographers\nYes\nColor\nMono.\nOther\nTechnical\nSupport:\nMicrophones\nPA Other Rooms\nRecording\nLights\nTransportation\nParking\nSouth Drive\nHousing\nOther\n(Risers,stage,platforms)\nSusan Porter\nProject Co-ordinator\nPhone\nx2850\nSite diagrams should be attached if technical support is heavy.\nDigitized from Box 3 of the Sheila Weidenfeld Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nMRS. FORD\nEVENT:\nArrival of Blue Room Christmas Tree\n(and one for the West Hall)\nDATE:\nFriday, December 6, 1974\nTIME:\n11:15 a.m.\nPLACE:\nSouth Portico arrival (Diplomatic Reception Room for\nrefreshments)\nGUESTS:\n-Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cole, National Grand Champion\nGrower from Mayville, Michigan\n-Linda Cole, daughter\n-Mrs. Laurie Cole Batzer, daughter\n-Mrs. Ouina Gardner, tree is from her yard\n-Mr. and Mrs. Donald Chard, furnished vehicle for trip\n-Senator Robert Griffin (R-Michigan)\n-Congressman J. Robert Traxler (D-Michigan)\nSEQUENCE:\n11:15 a.m.\nWhen your guests and the press have assembled at the\nSouth Portico with the tree on its trailer, Susan Porter\nwill give you a call that all is ready.\nTo greet your guests, admire the trees and pose for\nphotographs, come through the Diplomatic Reception Room\nand out the south door where the group and trees will be.\n11:25 a.m.\nWhen the photographs are finished, at your invitation,\nyour guests will follow you into the Diplomatic Reception\nRoom for refreshments.\n11:35 a.m.\nToward the end of refreshments, to mark the nearing\nconclusion, Susan Porter will give you \"Betty Ford\"\npens to give your guests (photographs will be sent\nlater).\nAfter you bid your guests Merry Christmas and farewell\nand return to family quarters, they will be given a special\ntour of the White House arranged by Mike Farrell, and the\ntrees will be headed for their destinations: the Blue Room\nand the West Hall.\nBACKGROUND:\nMr. Edward Cole of Mayville, Michigan, has been\nselected by the National Christmas Tree Grower's\nAssociation as the National Grand Champion Grower\nfor 1974. Mr. Cole is a former Sanilac County\nAgricultural Agent who now both operates a 100-acre\ntree farm and teaches 8th grade science in Mayville.\nThe tree itself is a concolor fir, 19 1/2 feet tall\nand 12 feet in diameter at the base. It was selected\nby Mr. Cole to be The tree and is cut from the front\nyard of Mrs. Ouina Gardner, Mr. Cole's neighbor in\nMayville. A 14-foot spruce is also being delivered\nfor the West Hall.\nMr. and Mrs. Chard, who are friends of the Coles, are\nfurnishing the vehicle and trailer to transport the\ntree from Michigan to the White House. Mr. Chard\noperates a 500-acre agriculture farm and maintains a\ndairy herd of 60 cattle.\nDecember 5, 1974\nsusan I porter\nFor immediate release\nTuesday, Dec. 3, 1974\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nOffice of the Press Secretary to Mrs. Ford\nMrs. Ford will accept the White House Christmas Tree as\nit arrives at the North Portico Friday, Dec. 6 at 10:30 a.m.\nThe tree is a concolor fir, 19 1/2 feet tall and 12 feet in\ndiameter at the base. It will be placed in the center of the\nBlue Room.\nThe tree was grown in Michigan and was selected a year ago\nby the National Christmas Tree Growers' Association. Making\nthe presentation to Mrs. Ford will be Edward Cole of Mayville,\nMich., who is the National Grand Champion Grower for 1974.\nAccompanying Mr. Cole will be his wife and two daughters,\nLinda Cole and Mrs. Laurie Batzer. Mr. Cole is a former\nSanilac County Agricultural Agent who now operates a 100-acre\ntree farm and teaches eighth grade science at Mayville.\nThe tree was cut from the front yard of Mrs. Ouina Gardner,\nalso of Mayville, who donated it to Mr. Cole and the Christmas\nTree Growers' Association.\nA 14-foot blue spruce for President and Mrs. Ford is also being\ndelivered. The tree will be placed in the West Hall of the\nFamily Quarters of the White House.\n#\n#\n#\n#\nPresident's Tree\nThe White House Christmas tree\nwas delivered from Michigan yes-\nterday and afterward was nearly\ndamaged. First Lady Betty Ford re-\nceived the 19-foot fir and said she\nwas \"thrilled to have a Michigan\n-Star-News Photographer Joseph Silverman\nMrs. Ford, Edward Cole and Mrs. Ouina\nGardner with one of the two White House\nChristmas trees after it arrived yesterday.\nI DAILY NEWS, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1974\nAssociated Press Wirephoto\nThe Family Christmas Tree\nMrs. Betty Ford accepts Christmas tree from Edward Cole and Mrs. Quinn Gardner, old friends\nfrom Mayville, Mich., yesterday outside the White House. Tree was cut from Mrs. Gardner's front\nyard for the use of the First Family during holidays."
}