The Day I met President Ronald Reagan.President Ronald Reagan was one of the nicest and kindest men I have ever met. My father-in-law was running for the senate in Oregon and I was his campaign manager. President Reagan came to Eugene to debate the student body from the University of Oregon. They were a very liberal campus in the 80's. While Richard and I were at the airport to meet Reagan my father-in-law got to talking to a Secret Service Agent.
As the Lord would have it we were given badges that allowed us to go to the room where President Reagan was. We showed the secret services the badges that were given to us and they let us in. To our surprise we were the only ones in the room with Ronald and Nancy Reagan. We had almost 20 minutes in the room alone with them and only one secret service agent.
Oh what a great man he was. Both Nancy and President Reagan were so kind. When it was time to go and speak he walked to center court of the gymnasium. They cursed him, yelled at him and shouted to the top of their lungs. He waited for them to finish and started to talk. They had thought he was not smart. Well I want to tell you something, when they started to ask questions he answered every one of them.
By the time he was finished he left with a standing ovation. Can you imagine it, he entered with curses and boo's and shouts. He left with applause and cheers. It was at that moment I knew he would be a great president.
| In Memory of Ronald Reagan 1911 - 2004 |  |
Public pays tribute at presidential library
Tens of thousands expected in California and later WashingtonNancy Reagan, seated, is joined Monday by friends and relatives as Ronald Reagans remains lie in repose at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. From left are Patti Davis and Ron Reagan, the Reagans children; Colleen Reagan, wife of the former presidents adopted son, Michael; and Michael Reagan. Entertainer Merv Griffin, an old family friend, stands behind Ron Reagan. NBC, MSNBC and news servicesUpdated: 11:28 p.m.ET June07, 2004SIMI VALLEY, Calif. - Ronald Reagans flag-covered casket arrived at his presidential library Monday, the first stop on a final journey that will include a state funeral in the nations capital and then a return to the library for burial on a hilltop. A military band saluted the arriving entourage with “Hail to the Chief” and “America” as eight armed forces members carried the casket into the library, past a 10-foot-tall sculpture titled “After the Ride” depicting Reagan as a smiling cowboy with a Stetson in his hand.Nancy Reagan, 82, the former presidents widow, was escorted to her seat. At the close of a brief family ceremony, she touched her cheek to the casket, began to cry and was embraced tightly by her daughter, Patti Davis. Reagans fellow Californians were later allowed into the rotunda to pay their respects to the man who was their governor from 1967 to 1975. Among the first were Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver. Public viewing of the casket is to run until Tuesday evening. Dozens of buses were on hand at a nearby college to shuttle mourners, who are expected to number about 2,000 an hour for the 30 hours the casket will lie in repose at the library.Between noon and 7:15 p.m., 12,100 people passed by the casket, said Melissa Giller, chief of staff for the library foundation.Flags, flowers and jelly beansClusters of onlookers gathered on overpasses to follow the progress of the 40-mile motorcade route on its journey from a funeral home to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, northwest of Los Angeles. The freeways were cleared of traffic ahead of the motorcade. On one overpass, a huge U.S. flag hung between the ladders of two fire trucks. At the funeral home, Nancy Reagan accompanied by Davis; her son, Ron Reagan; and Michael Reagan, the late presidents adopted son viewed impromptu remembrances that had been placed outside. U.S. flags, flowers and jars of jelly beans, Ronald Reagans favorite treat, were left along with notes, stuffed animals and candles in the spontaneous shrine.Thank you for changing the world, one handwritten note said, and the words Thank you, Ronald Reagan were drawn across a map of the United States. Dozens of mourners gathered to pay their respects from a distance. I thought this would be a wonderful experience for my daughter, said Wendy Mattina, who visited the library with her 9-year-old daughter. Weve loved President Reagan our whole family have known about him since I was just little, she told NBC News. We want to come pay our respects to him. He was truly the greatest president weve ever had, and a great American. Comfortable in his own skinReagan, who is often credited for winning the Cold War and the hearts of countless Americans with his skills as the “Great Communicator,” died Saturday at 93 after a 10-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. The cause of death was pneumonia. In a piece written for Time magazine before Reagans death, Nancy Reagan said her husband felt that his greatest accomplishment was finding a safe end to the Cold War. I think they broke the mold when they made Ronnie,” she wrote. “He was a man of strong principles and integrity. He had absolutely no ego, and he was very comfortable in his own skin; therefore, he didn’t feel he ever had to prove anything to anyone.” President Bush paid tribute to Reagan during a D-Day commemoration Sunday in France that drew leaders from more than a dozen countries. “Twenty summers ago, another American president came here to Normandy to pay tribute to the men of D-Day. He was a courageous man, himself, and a gallant leader in the cause of freedom. And today we honor the memory of Ronald Reagan,” Bush said, prompting applause. Carriage procession to CapitolFrom California, the former presidents casket will be flown Wednesday to Andrews Air Force Base in Washington. A horse-drawn carriage will carry the casket, accompanied by a single drummer, to the Capitol that evening. Public viewing of the casket will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesday after an arrival ceremony at 7 p.m. closed to all except the family, members of Congress, visiting heads of state and other government officials. The Capitol Rotunda will remain open 24 hours a day until early Friday morning. A state funeral will follow late Friday morning at Washington National Cathedral, where Bush will deliver the eulogy. Bush proclaimed Friday a day of national mourning and closed the federal government for the day. The business of the U.S. government was expected to be subdued for the rest of the week, as well. In the Senate, Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said no votes would be held except for those related to resolutions honoring Reagan. World leaders are expected to attend the funeral. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher confirmed that they would be there, as well. That event also is closed to the public. And Sen. John Kerry, who has announced plans to briefly furlough his presidential campaign out of respect to Reagan's memory, will attend funeral services for the former president on Friday, a spokeswoman said. RONALD WILSON REAGAN 1911-2004 Day-to-day chronology of events for Reagan’s funeral Reagan and Gorbachev worked together to steer their superpower nations away from nuclear confrontation and toward the end of Moscows empire. He has already entered history as a man who was instrumental in bringing about the end of the Cold War, Gorbachev said Sunday. More than 100,000 people are expected to pay their respects at the Capitol, the U.S. Capitol Police said Sunday. Cameras will be forbidden, and backpacks and other bags will be strongly discouraged. All those wishing to view the former presidents body will have to pass through metal detectors and will be subject to search. NBC News Pete Williams reported that Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge was designating the Washington parts of the services to be a National Special Security Event, which will put the Secret Service in charge of security. After the funeral services, the body will be flown back to California for a sunset burial in a crypt beneath a memorial site at the presidential library. The memorial, a curved wall adorned with shrubbery and ivy lines, has a three-line inscription from Reagan: I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And theres purpose and worth to each and every life. Battle with AlzheimersAlmost five years after he left office, the nations 40th president told the world in November 1994 that he had been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimers disease. He said he had begun the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. He lived longer than any other U.S. president, spending his last decade in the shrouded seclusion wrought by his disease, tended by his wife and the few closest to him. Although fiercely protective of Reagan’s privacy, the former first lady let people know that his mental condition had deteriorated terribly. Last month, she said: “Ronnie’s long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him.” The U.S. flag over the White House was lowered to half-staff within an hour of Reagans passing, and there were moments of silence at ballparks and at the Belmont Stakes horse race in Elmont, N.Y. George H.W. Bush, Reagans vice president, told NBC News: I was honored to be at President Reagans side for those eight years. I learned so much from him. Bush said Reagan would be remembered for his principled stand against totalitarianism, against communism. Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton are the other surviving ex-presidents. NBC Newschannels Jay Gray, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. |
