1974 photo found at wikipedia
Former first lady Betty Ford, who became the face of alcohol addiction and how to get help, died Friday.
Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren Ford was born April 8, 1918, in Chicago. She died July 8, 2011, at age 93.
The dancer who never dreamed of becoming a political wife, was treated for addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs in 1976. In 1982, she established the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. In 1991, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contribtuion to health issues.
She and her husband, President Gerald Ford, were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1998 for their public service.
She brought the same attention to breast cancer, pulling the disease from behind hushed silence and bringing relief and medical bravery to countless women across the United States. She talked openly about treatment after she was diagnosed in 1974.
An outspoken social activist, Ford, a mother of four, also brought controversy to the White House when she expressed support for abortion, military duty for women, premartial sex, and the Equal Rights Amendment. Her views contradicted those of President Ford.
He died in 2006, also at age 93. They were married in 1948.
