The studio was held in a small rented space and was called Betty Bloomer's Dance School. For each child that attended, Betty earned 50 cents. She also pursued dance while attending Bennington College School of Dance during the summers of 1937 and 1938. After studying at Bennington College, Betty met her biggest role model, Martha Graham, who gave her an opportunity to study at her school in New York. While she was in New York, Betty danced with the Martha Graham Auxiliary Dance Company. Although she was never able to travel the country with the dance company, Betty did perform with them in New York and at least one show at Carnegie Hall.While in high school, Betty got her first job at Herpolschimer's Department Store. She worked as a model for teen and young adult clothing, earning 3 dollars every time she appeared. Having worked at Herpolscheimer's also opened doors for Betty as she got older.
During her first marriage, because her husband was a traveling salesman, she relocated to several different cities. While in these cities, she used her experience to get modeling and merchandising jobs at other department stores. When she returned to Michigan, she was able to return to Herpolscheimer's, where she worked for many more years.Betty's first marriage was to William Warren in 1942. William was a furniture and insurance salesman. The couple moved around numerous times while they were married. They were married until the end of 1947. The couple separated because of all the traveling and William's alcoholism. When Betty first filed for divorce, she found out that William was suffering from a coma in New York. She took care of him while he recovered, during which time they lived with William's parents. As soon as he was recovered, Betty proceeded with the divorce.
The divorce was finalized on December 15, 1947.Betty Bloomer never dreamed of being involved in politics, but that all changed when she met a young lawyer named Gerald Ford. They were introduced by mutual friends. Gerald proposed to Betty in February of 1948, but the couple did not announce their engagement until June of that year, after Ford had won the Republican Congressional nomination. The couple was married two weeks before the election and relocated to Washington D.C. two and a half months after they were married. As the wife of a congressman, Betty Ford strived to educate herself on the political process. While her husband was in office, Betty became a tour guide for her husband's constituents; she also joined the Congressional Club and became the director of the Congressional Wives Prayer Group.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Betty-Ford---An-Inspirational-Woman-Part-I&id=6443913
