Russell A. Rourke counselor John O. Marsh. In 1976, he became a special assistant to President Gerald R. Ford. His responsibilities included legislative liaison between the White House and Congress. After President Ford lost his bid for re-election in 1977, Rourke serve on the White House Transition Team. At the close of the Ford Administration, Rourke accepted a position as administrative assistant to Republican Congressman Harold S. Sawyer of Michigan. In May 1981, President Reagan nominated Rourke as assistant secretary for legislative affairs in the Department of Defense. In that capacity, Rourke was the principal adviser to Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger
A New Kind of Family re-tooled in an effort to boost ratings. The characters of Abby and Jill Stone were written out and new characters, Jess and Jojo Ashton (played by Telma Hopkins and Janet Jackson respectively), were added to the series. Despite the cast change, the show was cancelled in January 1980. A New Kind of Family A New Kind of Family is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 1979 to January 1980. The series stars Eileen Brennan, Rob Lowe, and Telma Hopkins. It is not to be confused with, nor is it related to, the series "Family", which aired concurrently