GracieJc8

Of those not on the list, I'm guessing it's Rainier. As for the list itself, well I'm guessing maybe Jerry Lewis or Ford. Perhaps Rehnquist. I'm just not sure!

I did read that statement on the net and it was very nice. But the Pope himself was still making public statements on Terri Schiavo and Prince Rainier until the last few days of his life.

Someone wrote in about Rosalynn Carter's mother living until a few years ago. I checked up and the mothers of the 2 most recent first ladies Clinton and Bush II are still living. Dorothy Howell Rodham b. 1921 (Hillary Rodham Clinton) and Jenna Welch, date of birth unknown (Laura Bush), she is in her upper eighties. Both should be considered potential deaths in the next few ytears, but not nessecarily for the 2006 list. Aside from the elder Bushes the only living presidential parent (or closest thing to it) is Richard "Dick" Kelley, the stepfather of former president Bill Clinton. I checked up on him and he is living in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Kelley, the fourth husband (and widower) of Clinton's mother Virginia Clinton Kelley is 91 or 92. I don't know what his health status is.

Cerebus mentioned wanting to hear my take on Kissinger. I must admit I haven't thought too much about him. I believe we'll see Kissinger pass on in the next couple of years. It seems the old Nixon loyalists are dying off pretty rapidly in the last few years. I recall seeing in the news that Kissinger suffered a mild heart attack 2-3 years ago. I believe he should be on the 2006 list along with Earl Butz b. 1909. For those of you who don't know Butz was Agriculture Secretary in the Nixon-Ford years. He became rather infamous in 1976 when Ford asked him to resign after the uproar he caused by making a joke about African Americans aboard a plane while campaigning for Ford/Dole. The person who leaked the info was none other than John Dean who happened to be sitting with Butz (along with singer Pat Boone) when he made the statement. Yeah I'd say Butz and Kissinger are prime candidates to be on the '06 list.

How about Margaret Thatcher, ex British PM b. 1925. After all her predecessor Lord Callaghan died today.

Yes, I just heard that on CNN. I hate to hear that news.

Saw Cronkite on Wolf Blitzer last week. He was talking about Dan Rather's departure. He still looked very alert and healthy. A good man and helluva journalist, I don't think he's going anywhere soon.

My List for 2006 1. Billy Graham 2. Charlton Heston 3. Nancy Reagan 4. Ethel Kennedy 5. Kirk Douglas 6. Geraldine Ferraro 7. Bob Dole 8. Sargent Shriver 9. George H.W. Bush 10. Larry Hagman

It will be interesting to see what kind of shape Ford is in if he does make it to the ski event. And if he doesn't appear, well he most likely is declining rapidly.

Anyone know any info on her these days?

And who knows, Gerald Ford might outlive Betty Ford. It happened with the Nixons. Pat Nixon died of lung cancer on June 22, 1993 at 81 (She was a heavy smoker in private). Richard Nixon died after suffering a stroke exactly 10 monthes later on April 22, 1994 also at 81. Statistics do show that men are gradually surpassing women in terms of life expectancy.

But Gerald Ford is still an old man who is obviously declining if from nothing else just being nearly 92 years old.

Well Clinton could be a possibility. I mean I would hate for him to pass away at still a relatively young age. But LBJ wasn't much older (64) when he died of heart disease in 1973. Carter is still healthy, but his father and all of his siblings have died of pancreatic cancer before the age of 65. His mother died of breast cancer at 85. And Bush Sr. has had a bit of heart trouble in the past. He was hospitalized breifly for irregular heartbeat in May of 1991 and again in early 2000, but he still jumps out of airplanes! And Barbara Bush has a family history of cancer. According to her memoir, she lost a brother in 1993 to the disease and a sister in 1999. And don't forget they lost a daughter to leukemia. So I guess all of the ex presidents could be fair game in the next few years.

I agree wholeheartedly. Why Betty Ford is on this list and not Lady Bird Johnson simply puzzles me. Mrs. Ford seemed healthy at Ronald Reagan's funeral (in contrast to her husband). Mrs. Johnson was the only ex-first lady not present for the funeral. She has not made any public apperances for a few years and the only news on her is when she is hospitalized. She should have been in the top 10 for 2005.

Hmm... could be a major possibility. Haven't thought of him yet.

And as far as the greatest number of living, I'd say you're right about the Clinton and Dub 1st terms. My guess however is that this "fraternity" will most likely get smaller before the 2008 election. I'm guessing Ford will pass on before then and maybe Bush Sr. or Carter. And probably one or more first ladies (most likely Lady Bird) will meet their maker as well.

Truman died on Dec. 26, 1972 of heart failure at the age of 88. After Adams and Hoover, he was the third longest lived president until about 1999 or 2000 when Reagan surpassed him.

Just a historical footnote: Four former presidents have lived into their nineties. John Adams died on July 4, 1826,(same day as Thomas Jefferson) four monthes shy of his 91st birthday. Herbert Hoover died of a bleeding ulcer on October 20, 1964 2 monthes after his 90th birthday. Adams and Hoover held the record until Reagan surpassed them both. Ronald Reagan died of pneumonia brought on by Alzheimers Disease on June 5, 2004 at the age of 93. And Gerald Ford will turn 92 this July(if he lives that long). Former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson will turn 93 on December 22 of this year. Mrs. Johnson is currently the oldest of our surviving ex-first ladies. But the one who lived the longest was Bess Truman, widow of Harry S. Truman. She died of congestive heart failure on October 18, 1982 at the age of 97. Only Mrs. Johnson has come close to breaking that record. No other former first lady has lived past the age of 90. Here are the ages and birth years of our current presidents and first ladies as of 2005. Lady Bird Johnson-93 b. 1912 Gerald Ford- 92 b.1913 Betty Ford-87 b. 1918 Jimmy Carter -81 b. 1924 Rosalynn Carter-78 b. 1927 Nancy Reagan-84 b. 1921 George H.W. Bush-81b. 1924 Barbara Bush-80 b. 1925 Bill Clinton-59 b. 1946 Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton-58 b. 1947 George W. Bush-59 b. 1946 Laura Bush -59 b. 1946

Yeah I read on his imdb profile where he has recently battled prostate cancer on top of the Alzheimers.

That doesn't suprise me. Ford is probably the least known of the recent presidents.

Great and noble leader? Hmm that's funny considering that Cheney and Rumsfeld first came to power due to Uncle Jerry Ford!