Three Decades With President Ford
Loyal Staff Member Develops Into A Special Friendship

From his humble beginning in Evergreen, Alabama, to mingling with Presidents and world-renown dignitaries in Washington D.C. and capitals around the globe, Palm Desert-resident and avid golfer Lee F. Simmons has led quite a life. As crewmember on Air Force One and special assistant to President Ford for over 30 years, Simmons has experienced things that few people have the opportunity to ever encounter. This multi-part series is the story of Lee F. Simmons, one of our desert heroes.

GolfNews Magazine: What is your title and explain your role in relationship to President Ford?
Lee Simmons: I was a flight attendant on Air Force One when I met President Ford in 1974. I had been flying with President Nixon on Air Force One at the time. When President Nixon [announced his resignation and] came back to California and we dropped him off, on return to Washington the crew stayed on and was assigned to Air Force One during President Ford’s administration.
I stayed on Air Force One until President Ford came back to California after his presidency. He asked if I would come out with him on The Transition Team; that’s how I wound up out here in the Coachella Valley. That was January 1977. I retired from the Air Force two months later. He asked me if I would be his Special Assistant and I proudly accepted.

GNM: You had responsibilities when the President was in office, afterwards during his post-presidency, and after his passing. Please tell us about those different responsibilities.
Simmons: After I retired from the Air Force and became a staff member, my responsibility was to travel with President Ford and take him on the road, and take care of whatever he needed, be it ordering newspapers, or talking with Secret Service and giving them the President’s schedule.
If he were meeting with people such as the press, it was my responsibility to make sure President Ford met those people. They would contact me and the interview or press conference would start.
I was there to help him with his daily schedule. To get him wherever he was going and back on a particular trip. Sometimes we would be gone three days, four days, five days and I was just there to assist him.
Most of my work was probably more of a personal nature. I stayed in the hotel with him; stayed in the next room. We did a lot of traveling together on airplanes and motorcades.

GNM: What kind of roles did the other presidential assistants play; were they different that yours or similar?
Simmons: They were different. Bob Barrett, who was very instrumental in getting me out here to the desert, was a military aide to President Ford. Of course, he had a more important job than mine. He had a very significant job. He was the Chief of Staff for President Ford. We all worked under Bob Barrett for President Ford.
Of course, President Ford had other assistants. One took care of his schedule, making contacts with the people he was going to see and coordinating with people regarding the speeches he was going to make. They had a more significant job than I did. The main thing I had to do is meet President Ford at the house, make sure his bags got into the limo and my bags got into the limo, and we got in the car and we left. When we got to our destination, I made sure his bags got up to his room and that he got into his room. More of a personal nature.

GNM: So, who was actually your boss? Who could hire or fire you?
Simmons: President Ford. I worked directly for him.

GNM: Just for clarification. How many years were you associated with President Ford before he retired and how many years after he retired?
Simmons: Two and one-half years I was on Air Force One when he was President. And another 30 years after we arrived out here in the desert.

GNM: As a crewmember and personal assistant to the President, I would think in a sense, and this may sound unusual what I’m going to say—an analogy might be that of a bartender. You are, no doubt, in a position to hear things that are highly confidential maybe even classified, without even trying to hear these things. You just happen to be there. How have you dealt with that? In other words, hearing things that are personal things.
Simmons: You’re taught that in the Air Force. You go to school for these kind of things. You don’t repeat things you’re not supposed to. It’s on a “need to know” basis. In other words, I can’t tell you who the President met and who he talked to, if it was not public knowledge. If it was not to be for the public to know, then you don’t talk about it.
GNM: So, you are trained to do that?
Simmons: Absolutely. Protocol tells you that.

GNM: Share with us highly unique or unusual experiences. Unexpected or even bizarre? Something that just came up. Like you were once introduced to someone as Chi Chi Rodriguez, right? The person introducing you actually thought you were Chi Chi.
Simmons: That’s right.
After President Ford left The White House, he played in ten to twelve golf tournaments, and we got to meet all the top golfers. People like Arnold Palmer; Jack Nicklaus, who was a friend of President Ford and we spent three or four days in Columbus, Ohio, at his golf tournament. The most important thing about that is when I was with President Ford, I got the opportunity to mingle with these people. Although I was in the background, I was there. But I got to meet those people and they all treated me with respect; they all made me feel welcome.
I got to know some of those people personally. Such as Chi Chi Rodriguez. There were a lot of other golf pros that I got to meet and I’m happy to say got to know pretty well.

GNM: Other examples?
Simmons: Fuzzy Zoeller. Doug Sanders. A lot of them just by being with President Ford.

GNM: President Ford had a passion for sports. Correct?
Simmons: Yes. Matter of fact, President Ford always read the sports page first. He always said if you read the sports page, you have a 50-50 chance of getting it right! [laughter]
GNM: Whereas, the rest of the newspaper, it’s not even 50-50.
Simmons: That’s right.

GNM: What did golf mean to President Ford?
Simmons: It was a great outlet for him. He liked to go out and practice. He could have gotten better but he didn’t have the time to devote. When he first came out here, he had a pretty good handicap. [Editor’s note: Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Board Member Steve Morton has gone on record to say: “President Ford was a strong, competitive 14 and was a surprisingly good player.”]
GNM: Did he get much formal instruction? He certainly had access to it.
Simmons: Of course. Most all the golfers would give him tips. Chi Chi Rodriguez gave him some lessons.

GNM: You enjoy golf, correct?
Simmons: I do. But my golf game needs a lot of attention. [laughter]
GNM: Whose doesn’t? How many years have you been playing and what does the game mean to you?
Simmons: I’ve been playing about ten years. The game means to me the opportunity to get our there with some friends and have some fun. If I shoot 89 or 85 or 80 that’s good, or if I shoot 105 or 110, that’s good. As long as I go out there and have fun. I don’t take it as serious as some people. Because I got started too late. I was 65 when I first picked up a golf club.

GNM: Air Force One is a very special aircraft. Tell us about it.
Simmons: Because it says “United States of America” on it and because of the passengers on that airplane, it’s a great airplane. Inside the airplane, it’s like none you’ve ever seen before. And the crewmembers are very special. Great people. People like no other ones. They are elite. They are qualified; have the most hours; they’re the most experienced.
They wouldn’t be there if they are not the finest. You don’t get to fly on Air Force One or the other Special Air Mission planes without being highly, highly qualified. The President’s airplane and the other Vice-President and Cabinet members’ airplane are maintained by one group and that’s how I wound up there on Air Force One. After basic training, I was assigned to Washington National Airport where the Special Air Mission wing is stationed.

GNM: What did President Ford worry about the most; meaning what was he most concerned about if you had to pick one thing?
Simmons: I can’t say for sure. I don’t think I can make a comment on that. I don’t think I know for sure.
GNM: How would you describe President Ford’s presidential style?
Simmons: His style? It was very good. You mean how he held himself?
GNM: Yes. They talk about Kennedy’s style. They say that Presidents tend to have their own style. George W. Bush has his style.
Simmons: Nixon had his.
GNM: Right, Nixon had his.
Simmons: They were different. President Ford was more mellow. Easy to be around. He was, as I said earlier, a very easy person to be around. He made you feel at ease. Whereas, some of the other presidents were a little harder to be around.
GNM: Do you think it was conscious or unconscious on their part?
Simmons: Unconscious. Because of the intensity of the job.

GolfNews Magazine: Your responsibilities as Special Assistant to President Ford, what were they?
Lee F. Simmons: After I retired from the Air Force and became a staff member, my responsibility was to travel with President Ford and take him on the road, and take care of whatever he needed.

GNM: How did the camaraderie develop? In other words, that’s a very personal relationship for the President of the United States to feel comfortable enough with you for you to become the “go to” guy. How does that come about?
Simmons: Over a period of time being around him, I had flown with him for 2 1/2 years on Air Force One before we came out here [to the desert]. So, he knew who I was. He had a good idea of what my personality was. After we got out here and we started flying together, we became closer and associated with one another. We spent a lot of time together, so he got to know a lot about me and I got to know a lot about him.
And he was a true gentleman. A fine man. He was like a friend next door. Someone you met in your neighborhood. That’s how comfortable I was with him.
It was a great opportunity for me to with him. He was a great man. A man that had all the responsibilities that he had, and we became great friends.

GNM: Insights about President Ford that you can share? Experiences that particularly stand out as you look back.
Simmons: One thing about President Ford, he was always on time. When he had a schedule, he fulfilled that schedule and wanted nothing to interfere with that schedule regardless of what might come up.

GNM: What were some of the joy as crewmember of Air Force One and/or as personal assistant to President Ford?
Simmons: As a crewmember, I was very happy to be flying on that beautiful airplane. You’re flying into foreign countries and they lay out the red carpet for you. I was very proud to be a part of that.
When we left The White House, the same thing happened. He was well received wherever he went. It was almost like he was still President of the United States. At hotels and when he gave speeches, he was treated with all the dignity of a sitting President. He was well liked as he should have been. He was a fine man.

GNM: What were some of the challenges you experienced? As you look back upon your job, there’s joys, however, I would think there were challenges and difficulties, too.
Simmons: The biggest challenge was being on time. [Poppers laughs profusely, being on time is not one of his specialties.] Being there when he wanted you. Also being prepared for whatever he wanted. We had schedules. We knew where we were going and what we were going to do. I knew, for example, in the morning when he got up what he would want. Newspapers. The first thing he did was read the newspaper when he had his breakfast.

GNM: You said plural. About how many would he read?
Simmons: All the local papers. Wall Street Journal. Christian Science Monitor. He read all those papers, and he kept a record of them. If he read those papers when he was in New York or Washington D.C., for example, he would keep a record and give it to me. When we got back to the office in Rancho Mirage, we would go through those newspapers that [he already had read] and throw them out, so he wouldn’t have to go through them again.
Those were some of the challenges. Whatever he told you, he was not going to forget. Whatever he told you, he was going to come to you and he knew when those things were supposed to be taken care of. You had to be on your toes.

GNM: Can you elaborate about President Ford’s passion for sports?
Simmons: I didn’t know very much about it other than golf. I knew about when he was a football player. He was an All-American at the University of Michigan. I also know he was a swimming coach and a boxing coach. I read all those things. It’s in his book.
He was a good golfer. Despite the fact that a lot of people criticized him for hitting people on the course. They took a survey in Monterey when he played in the Bing Crosby. They wrote a big editorial about how many people President Ford hit but they found out that 15 other people—some professional golfers and some amateurs—hit people in the gallery, but they didn’t put that in the article because that doesn’t sell papers.

GNM: But in addition to that, you’ve played Indian Wells Country Club, right?
Simmons: Yes.
GNM: You know how narrow some of those fairways are!
Simmons: Absolutely.
GNM: Do you know how easy it is to hit someone there!
Simmons: Particularly if you have thirty or forty people lined up right next to the ropes and they’re not all looking at you when you tee off.

GNM: People in the gallery are lined up like everyone is a tour professional. I am thoroughly convinced that if I was playing in the Pro-Am at Indian Wells Country Club during the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, that I would hit somebody. I’d almost guarantee it. I’m just not that good of a player. [For the curious, interviewer Poppers currently carries a 13 index.] It takes a great player to consistently be able to hit fairways that are very narrow.
Simmons: You got that right. Former Presidents and Tip O’Neil had their moments on the golf course and you didn’t hear much about that. But when President Ford did something, they put that in the paper in a minute.
I used to drive President Ford’s golf cart and it used to tick me off when people made unkind remarks about him. I hated that with a passion.

GNM: How did that affect him?
Simmons: He didn’t hear it. I’m hearing it. I would hear it from someone in the crowd when I was out of the cart and part of the gallery watching him putt. Then I would jump back in the cart, take him to the next hole and follow him down the fairway. They didn’t know what a kind, nice person he was. It was unfortunate and their loss. I knew what a kind, nice man he was. I was embarrassed watching and listening to people make those unkind comments.

GNM: What did golf mean to President Ford, in your opinion?
Simmons: It was a great outlet for him. He liked to go out and practice. He could have gotten better but he didn’t have the time to devote. When he first came out here, he had a pretty good handicap. [Editor’s note: Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Board Member Steve Morton has gone on record to say: “President Ford was a strong, competitive 14 and was a surprisingly good player.”]

GOLFNEWS MAGAZINE: You’ve had many memorable experiences with President Ford, share the ones that immediately come to mind.
Simmons: There were a lot of them. I met a lot of people; a lot of important people. I went to Russia when Brezhnev was there. We went to China and went to some of the events such as The Great Wall and dinners that the Chinese leadership had for President Ford and President Ford had for them.
After he was out of office, we met a lot of civilian people that we got to know pretty well. We traveled around the world, such as to Japan, the Middle East including Emirates.
It was mind-boggling to go to these places and see how those people lived over there and how well they treated President Ford. Actually they treated him as though he was a sitting President. I was very, very happy to be a part of that.

GNM: I don’t know if you kept track, but how many miles did you fly on Air Force One?
Simmons: I have no idea.
GNM: Millions?
Simmons: Well, it could be, yes.
GNM: It has to be millions. If you went to Europe, China, back across the U.S. many, many times.

Simmons: Once we were gone for 45 days. President Ford went around the world with Senator Mike Mansfield.
GNM: Forty-five day trip! What was that all about?
Simmons: It was great. We went to places we had never been before. It was a fact-finding trip that President Johnson sent Senator Mansfield on to several countries as a representative of the United States on behalf of the President. This is when President Johnson was President. When those senators came back, they gave a report to the President.
One of the major places we went to was Moscow. We also went to Warsaw and Hong Kong. Bangkok. Rangoon. Brunei. Vietnam. Manila. Honolulu. Bucharest. Saigon. There were so many, I can’t remember all the places

GNM: President Ford was a very punctual man, correct?
Simmons: Absolutely.
GNM: As good as your relationship was and it sounds like it was fantastic, did the idea of his punctuality put a little more stress on you compared to if he wasn’t so punctual.
Simmons: Oh, yah. Definitely. That, of course, is good for you, as you know. If he says we are going to New York or Kansas City or Ohio, and we’ll be back home at 5:30 or 6 o’clock, you can bet that we’ll be home at that time.

GNM: Did his punctuality flow over to your personal life? Have you become more punctual?
Simmons: Yes. I believe it has helped me. I’m not as organized as he was. He was very organized. He always was. I wish I was as organized.

GNM: Part of my fascination with punctuality, just so you know why, I tend to be late almost all the time.
Simmons: If you were working for President Ford and had to catch a plane and you were late, you would be left behind.
GNM: I’m trying my damnedest to overcome that but punctuality has always been an issue with me.

Simmons: Many staff members we left behind if they weren’t at the plane when they were supposed to be. He would not wait on them. That’s what I was afraid of.

GNM: Were you ever left behind?
Simmons: Noooooo. I figured if I got left behind, that would be my last trip. [laughter] I didn’t want that to happen to me. No, I was always there.
Yes. That was a source of concern for me: to be there and be there on time. Because he was going to be there on time. I did not want to ever hold him up. I didn’t ever want to do that. I was there to make his life easier…
GNM: And that would be just the opposite if you were late…
Simmons: My job was to make sure he was on time for wherever he needed to be and whatever he wanted to do. If I couldn’t do that, then I wasn’t doing my job and I wouldn’t have kept my job.
In Part 4 of this multi-part exclusive interview with Lee Simmons, in the next issue of GolfNews Magazine we’ll delve deeper into President Ford’s dedication to punctuality, explore President Ford’s intellectualism, and talk about Ford’s relationship with pipe smoking. Be sure to pick up the October-November ‘08 issue of GolfNews Magazine for this fascinating look at President Ford’s character.