214@100: President Ford stops at Buffalo Grove High School

Buffalo Grove High School opened in 1973, the eighth and final school in District 214. The first year, the school was home to only freshmen, sophomore and juniors, who celebrated a Fall Festival instead of a true Homecoming due to a lack of alumni. Ninety original Bison faculty were hired, along with the school's first principal, Dr. Clarence Miller.

Just two years later, Miller was meeting the President of the United States when the school became a stop during an election-year tour. On March 12, 1976, President Gerald R. Ford addressed a packed Bison gymnasium and an overflow field house crowd, arriving just before 8 p.m. - the last stop of a whirlwind tour of Illinois prior to the state's primary election.

He was greeted by Buffalo Grove student leaders and Miller; the Bison Band's rendition of "Hail to the Chief," a shower of balloons and a standing ovation showed the crowd's enthusiasm.

His speech, preceded by remarks from former Gov. Richard Ogilvie, touched on several themes, including his previous work to get the nation back on its feet following a weak economy and restore America's faith in government. Presidential documentation from the day shows the press used the school's wrestling room, equipped for the day with telephones, as their home base.

Two weeks of Secret Service preparation - including the emptying of lockers and the searching of air ducts and gym rafters - and heavy security were hallmarks of the visit, which remain one of the most historic moments in BGHS school history.

• 214@100 is a celebration of District 214's centennial; 100 people, places, things and events that have shaped the school district's unique history. To contribute an idea, send an email to district214@dailyherald.com.