MICHAEL F. FORD

  
MICHAEL F. FORD  
A noted Democratic political strategist died November 5, 2013, at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. The cause of death was complications from malignant melanoma.  Mr. Ford served in senior management positions in the presidential campaigns of many liberal Democrats, including Walter Mondale, Edward Kennedy, Birch Bayh, Morris Udall, and Jerry Brown. Ford served as manager, strategist, or speechwriter in over 100 state and local campaigns. He served as Executive Assistant to Governor John J. Gilligan of Ohio and Chief of Staff for Mayor Jerry Springer of Cincinnati, Ohio. Ford was a union organizer for AFSME, AFL-CIO. After a successful career in politics and corporate communications, Mr. Ford founded the Center for the Study of the American Dream at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. Ford was born in Washington, DC on June 23, 1948, and grew up in Takoma Park, MD. Mr. Ford received his A.B. degree from Xavier University, was a Graduate Fellow at Penn State University, and later received his M.A. in Government from Georgetown University. Survivors include his wife, Sally of Glyndon, MD; a son, Matthew of Glyndon and New York City, NY; sisters, Mary Jo Ford (Richard) Schneider of Herndon, VA and Maureen (Dave) Jester of Damascus, MD; brothers, Patrick (Peggy) Ford of Columbia, MD and Christopher Ford of Detroit, MI; and numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial gathering will be held Saturday, November 9, 2013, at 5 p.m. at 4348 Butler Road, Glyndon, MD 21136. Expressions of sympathy may be made in the form of contributions to the Center for the Study of the American Dream at Xavier University or Johns Hopkins Hospital, Sydney Kimmel Cancer Center.