An unlikely path unknown by many, Ford acquired his interest and passion for the arts at the University of Washington during his quest to attain his degree in Accounting. His father attended the U of W at the very beginning of WWII and enjoyed along with his mother after the war plays and art museums exposing Ford and his siblings to arts, and museums of culture and history. From those beginnings he expanded his enjoyment of art and culture going to Seattle’s Pike Place Public Market where not only produce, seafood and flowers abounded but also the artistic crafts that surrounded that area. He came to enjoy the galleries of sculptures, glass, painters and other artistic styles visiting there often when he lived in Seattle and return visits while he lived in Orlando. HIs favorite studio or artist display was at Phoenix Rising at the north end of the Pike Place Market. After moving to Orlando it was my opportunity to watch him nurture the arts stealthily from City Arts, to providing a gallery for young artists, to being one of the first to celebrate the first shovel of dirt for the Performing Arts Bldg. , now a city center focal point. He went to local artist markets, studios frequently, often purchasing something that caught his eye. I was able to travel with Ford from Orlando to Seattle on his last visit to see Pike Place Market something that started with his parents and family decades prior, he couldn’t resist a late night walk to stroll the Market even if it was closed. Ford had this way of giving a person a hand up to a stranger unexpectedly. On one occasion he and I had taken a ferry in Seattle across Puget Sound. We had lunch on the water, the young waitress serving us looked a little distraught and when we received our tab, he asked the young person what was wrong, it happened that a previous customer had left and didn’t pay the bill and she was stuck for it, upon our depart after paying our bill, Ford slipped her her tip a Ben Franklin it was his way of saying thank you and offering a hand up to someone who least expected it. That pretty much sums up Ford. His journey ended here but his spirit is felt by those who knew him and those that did not. I tip my hat and a toast “This Bud’s for You” Ford.