Photo: Allison Waltz
ASHLAND, Ohio – When one thinks of Lucille Ford, Ph.D., many things come to mind – university educator, community leader and trailblazer, to name a few.
Lecturer, political activist and someone who put God and family first in her life are a few more of the many ways Ford is remembered.
Ford was a former Ashland University professor, administrator and board member; founding president of the Ashland County Community Foundation; and first woman to run for lieutenant governor in Ohio. She passed away peacefully at home on Monday, Sept. 2, at the age of 102.
Involved with Ashland University for almost 30 years
“Dr. Ford’s many years of service as a faculty member, mentor to students and university leader solidified her remarkable legacy at Ashland University,” said Jim Hess, chair of the AU Board of Trustees. “If there was a Mount Rushmore for AU, Dr. Ford would certainly be on it.”
Hess added that the Board of Trustees will continue to pray for Ford’s family.
The Ashland native, who earned a master’s degree from Ashland Theological Seminary and an honorary doctorate from Ashland University, began her career at AU in 1967 as a professor of economics, eventually became the chair of the economics department and was later named dean of the School of Business Administration, Economics and Radio/TV in 1979.
She instructed more than 3,000 students, was instrumental in creating the Gill Center for Business and Education and received many awards throughout her AU career, including the Ashland University Glenn L. Clayton Award. She and her husband were even honored with a lecture series at the university.
By 1986, she was named vice president of academic affairs, followed by provost in 1990. Under her guidance, the Nursing Program, Writing Center, Honors Program and many other academic activities were revised or introduced at AU.
After retiring in 1995 from a position supporting the AU president, Ford served as a member of the Ashland University Board of Trustees, chairing its $55 million “Building on Strength” capital campaign, which concluded in 2002 and exceeded its goal by $4 million.
“Dr. Lucille Ford was beloved by generations of students and colleagues,” AU President Jon Parrish Peede said. “One cannot tell the story of our great university and its achievements without including her inspiring leadership. She has left a lasting legacy of faith and service.”
Founding president of the Ashland County Community Foundation
The same year Ford retired from AU she became the founding president of the Ashland County Community Foundation (ACCF), which began with no money relying on Ford and her reputation and persuasive skill to convince local nonprofit organizations and individuals to invest.
She volunteered her time as the organization’s leader for 17 years until current ACCF President/CEO James Cutright took over in 2012.
Saddened by the death of Ford, the ACCF released a statement not only describing her as a leader in every sense of the word, but also a visionary, trailblazer and role model. It read: “She was known for approaching lofty goals with tenacity and conviction, but also with graciousness and joy. She had a remarkable charisma that drew people to her, but she also demonstrated integrity in ways that earned and maintained their trust. She had a brilliant mind, but she also did everything with her whole heart, inspiring people around her to do the same.”
“I was always in awe of her and had tremendous admiration and respect for her as a person and as a leader,” Cutright said in ACCF’s statement. “It has been very daunting to be her immediate successor, as she left some big shoes to fill, but also extremely rewarding and a great honor, as we stand on her shoulders to reach new heights.”
“Had she not been the one leading the charge to create this foundation, it wouldn’t have been created when it was created, and it wouldn’t have been as successful right out of the gate as it was,” Chief Operating Officer Kristin Aspin, the foundation’s first and longest serving employee, added in the statement. “It was her leadership, her connections, her vision and her passion. She loved Ashland and wanted to see it thrive. She was a big believer that you need to be philanthropic and you need to give back.”
First in many endeavors beyond AU and ACCF
Just as she was the first president of the ACCF, she was the first in many of her other endeavors.
In the 1978 primary gubernatorial race, she made political history when she was the first woman nominee for lieutenant governor as Rep. Charles Kurfess’ running mate.
In the 1960s, she was the first and only woman to serve on the Ohio Edison Co. Board and was the first female appointed to serve on the board of directors of National City Bank.
Ford was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001 for those and her many other accomplishments. She continued to be a leader well into the 21st century, including chairing the Salvation Army’s campaign to bring the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center to Ashland in 2007 and serving as the grand marshal for the Ashland Bicentennial Parade in 2015.
In 1940, when only about 77,000 women graduated college, Ford received an associate degree at Stephens College in Missouri. She later went on to earn both a bachelor’s degree in commerce and an MBA from Northwestern University, as well as a doctorate in economics from Case Western Reserve University.
Family, faith and community were always important to Ford
Before coming back to her hometown, Ford taught at Allegheny College and the University of Alabama.
Ford also served on the board and as personal director of her family’s longtime printing business in Ashland, the A.L. Garber Co., which her grandfather, A.L. Garber, started.
She served on many other boards, lectured nationally and was active in the Presbyterian Church during her return to the community.
She also raised a family in Ashland with her late husband of 60 years, Laurence, whom she met while attending Northwestern. They had two daughters, Rev. JoAnn Ford Watson, Ph.D., and Karen Ford, a retired Navy lieutenant commander.
Ford Watson has followed in her mother’s footsteps in many ways – teaching at Ashland Theological Seminary (she is an ATS professor emerita now), serving on the ACCF Board and being an ordained Presbyterian minister.
She will officiate, with Rev. Justin Hylden, her mother’s funeral services, which will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at the First Presbyterian Church in Ashland. Private burial for family only will take place at Ashland Cemetery following the service. There will be no calling hours.
“My mother’s life was filled with accomplishments and contributions that benefited others,” Ford Watson said. “It was a life well-lived for the good of the A.L. Garber Co., the Ashland Community, Ashland University and the Ashland County Community Foundation. My mother served with a generous heart and spirit.”
As proud as she was of her mother’s “determination and strength of purpose to lead so that she could make a difference for others in everything she did” and being “a trailblazer with courage to create new vision and to effect growth and productivity wherever she worked,” especially at Ashland University, Ford Watson will miss her mother most for her strong faith, devotion to family and friends and loving spirit.
“She was devoted to serving God and her church, the First Presbyterian Church of Ashland,” Ford Watson said. “She loved her family, her friends and the Ashland community. She gave her all. Her life will have a lasting impact on everything she contributed in so many wonderful ways. We are so grateful for her life and thank God for her.”