Ann Arbor Stories: The man who would be dictator

Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos, and his wife, Imelda, wave goodbye to a crowd at Willow Run Airport as the couple boards President Johnson's private plane, September 1966. Ann Arbor News photo via AADL

Rich Retyi is back with another edition of Ann Arbor Stories. Today's story is all about Ann Arbor's September 1966 visit from Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Imelda Marcos. As part of a tour of the US, the charismatic Marcoses made a brief stop in Ann Arbor. President Marcos was awarded an honorary law degree, while Imelda got to experience a bus tour of Ann Arbor in the fall. Local news indicates Ann Arborites received the Marcoses with open arms, calling President Marcos a Filipino JFK. No word on how Imelda felt about her bus ride. All in all, it sounds like the Marcoses spent a pleasant day in Ann Arbor. This was of course, before President Marcos became a brutal dictator. But to hear that part of the story, you're going to have to listen to the podcast.