Perhaps the biggest stir at the funeral of former President Richard M. Nixon was created by Spiro T. Agnew, silver-haired and tan, looking as sleek as he did on the day in October 1973 when he resigned as Nixon's vice president after pleading no contest to a count of tax evasion.
The investigation into allegations that Agnew had taken money from contractors soliciting business with the state of Maryland erupted just as the Watergate scandal was spreading.Agnew has kept a very low profile over two decades, and he refused to make any comment to reporters when Nixon died last Friday.
But Wednesday, he not only came to the Nixon funeral, he spoke of a personal reconciliation.
"I decided after 20 years of resentment to put it all aside," Agnew said, before the ceremony began. "I'm here to pay tribute to the man's many accomplishments and to express our sympathy to Tricia and Julie and the family we always thought highly of.
"The last time I talked to him was the day I resigned. He tried to call me after that, several times, but I didn't take the calls because, at the time, I felt totally abandoned. But that's all past."