Gerald Ford as Vice President

For a few hours on July 16, 1980, the Republican National Convention was in a frenzy over rumors that Gerald Ford would join Ronald Reagan on the ticket. When that deal stalled, Reagan called George H. W. Bush at his hotel to offer him the Vice President spot instead. At the time, I was on a fishing trip with my dad in Elko, Nevada on our way to the Ruby Mountains. My dad was extremely excited about the prospect of a Reagan/Ford Republican ticket.