Hundreds Gather for Law School Event on Ford’s Pardon of Nixon

The School of Law hosted more than 450 guests at its commemorative event, President Ford’s Pardon of Richard Nixon: A 40-Year Retrospective.

Law School Dean Ken Gormley and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Executive Editor David Shribman moderated a panel at the Sept. 8 event that included:

• Benton Becker, former special counsel to President Ford, whom Ford sent to California to negotiate the pardon with the embattled ex-president
• Jill Wine-Banks, former assistant Watergate special prosecutor, and the sole female on the team planning to indict and prosecute Nixon
• Timothy Naftali, historian and former director of the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library, who gained worldwide attention for creating an objective display about the Watergate scandal at the Nixon Museum.

The event also included special video appearances by Steve Ford, son of President Ford, and trustee and chairman of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, and Tom Brokaw, special correspondent for NBC News.

President Ford’s Pardon of Richard Nixon: A 40-Year Retrospective was presented in cooperation with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.