Auction of Gerald Ford items to boost museum

The Gerald R. Ford Foundation in November announced plans for funding a 10,500-square-foot student learning center at the museum and creating new interactive exhibits. Online access to the museum's documents also is planned along with documents at the Ford presidential library in Ann Arbor.

"It's all built with private funds. There's no government funding," said the late president's son Steve Ford, chairman of the Ford Foundation. "We're the private arm that raises money."

So far, at least $10 million already has been secured from trustees and supporters for the $15 million effort.

President Gerald Ford died in 2006 and former first lady Betty Ford died in 2011. They lived in Rancho Mirage, Calif., for decades. Their hometown was Grand Rapids.

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Online:

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http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov