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NAVIGATION
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Remembering Ronald Reagan
a most noble God Loving Fearing Leader
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At the end of his two terms in office, Ronald Reagan viewed with satisfaction the achievements of his innovative program known as the Reagan Revolution, which aimed to reinvigorate the American people and reduce their reliance upon Government. He felt he had fulfilled his campaign pledge of 1980 to restore "the great, confident roar of American progress and growth and optimism."
On February 6, 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born to Nelle and John Reagan in Tampico, Illinois. He attended high school in nearby Dixon and then worked his way through Eureka College. There, he studied economics and sociology, played on the football team, and acted in school plays. Upon graduation, he became a radio sports announcer. A screen test in 1937 won him a contract in Hollywood. During the next two decades he appeared in 53 films.
From his first marriage to actress Jane Wyman, he had two children, Maureen and Michael. Maureen passed away in 2001. In 1952 he married Nancy Davis, who was also an actress, and they had two children, Patricia Ann and Ronald Prescott.
As president of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan became embroiled in disputes over the issue of Communism in the film industry; his political views shifted from liberal to conservative. He toured the country as a television host, becoming a spokesman for conservatism. In 1966 he was elected Governor of California by a margin of a million votes; he was re-elected in 1970.
Ronald Reagan won the Republican Presidential nomination in 1980 and chose as his running mate former Texas Congressman and United Nations Ambassador George Bush. Voters troubled by inflation and by the year-long confinement of Americans in Iran swept the Republican ticket into office. Reagan won 489 electoral votes to 49 for President Jimmy Carter.
On January 20, 1981, Reagan took office. Only 69 days later he was shot by a would-be assassin, but quickly recovered and returned to duty. His grace and wit during the dangerous incident caused his popularity to soar.
Dealing skillfully with Congress, Reagan obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, increase employment, and strengthen national defense. He embarked upon a course of cutting taxes and Government expenditures, refusing to deviate from it when the strengthening of defense forces led to a large deficit.
A renewal of national self-confidence by 1984 helped Reagan and Bush win a second term with an unprecedented number of electoral votes. Their victory turned away Democratic challengers Walter F. Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro.
In 1986 Reagan obtained an overhaul of the income tax code, which eliminated many deductions and exempted millions of people with low incomes. At the end of his administration, the Nation was enjoying its longest recorded period of peacetime prosperity without recession or depression.
In foreign policy, Reagan sought to achieve "peace through strength." During his two terms he increased defense spending 35 percent, but sought to improve relations with the Soviet Union. In dramatic meetings with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, he negotiated a treaty that would eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles. Reagan declared war against international terrorism, sending American bombers against Libya after evidence came out that Libya was involved in an attack on American soldiers in a West Berlin nightclub.
By ordering naval escorts in the Persian Gulf, he maintained the free flow of oil during the Iran-Iraq war. In keeping with the Reagan Doctrine, he gave support to anti-Communist insurgencies in Central America, Asia, and Africa.
Overall, the Reagan years saw a restoration of prosperity, and the goal of peace through strength seemed to be within grasp. |
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A MESSAGE FROM THE GIPPER
Fellow Americans,
The long journey now has ended,
Yes, the Lord has called me home.
But my dear beloved Nancy,
You will never be alone.
For I will walk beside you,
The way you walked with me.
You will feel my presence with you,
Just the way it used to be.
For all the things that broke your heart
As you watched my memory fade,
God fixed, in but a moment,
Kept the promises He made:
That in Heaven, “Old is New,”
“Sick are well forevermore,”
“Failing minds and tiring bodies,”
“Are made whole, I will restore.”
The road we traveled hand in hand,
Took a long and painful bend,
We had no way of knowing,
When this trip would finally end.
I know the days were lonely,
As you sat quiet by my side,
This journey to an unknown land,
Truly was, “A Long Good-by.”
America, I thank you,
For the great stage that you gave me,
To enjoy life’s awesome ride,
Where the World became my audience,
With Nancy at my side.
I auditioned for The President,
Got the part –answered the call.
It was my finest hour on stage,
The greatest, “Gig,” of all.
I had some, not so funny lines,
The most impressive I recall,
Were those four words to Gorbachev,
“Tear down this wall.”
Keep your faith in God, America,
Keep standing, straight and strong.
As I told you in my last, “Farewell,”
“There will be a brighter dawn.”
As the world takes pause to ponder,
Midst turmoil and unrest,
The Director’s cast is being filled,
He chooses just the best.
Here on God’s great set in Heaven,
I can hear the angels sing,
That great old hymn, “Amazing Grace,”
The final scene will soon begin.
As I watched the credits rolling,
At the ending of the film,
I saw again how truly blessed,
My life on Earth had been.
I see green pastures in the distance,
And my horse is waiting there,
With a golden saddle shining,
And my favorite hat to wear.
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Ronald Wilson Reagan
40th President of the United States
His strength of character and love of freedom are legendary.
His faith in God and unshaken confidence in the American dream
helped restore our nation to greatness.
Reagan's farewell note to his fellow citizens (1994)
was his final masterpiece.
"I only wish there was some way I could spare
Nancy from this painful experience,"
he wrote in the same small,
neat hand he used for thousands of personal letters.
"When the time comes I am confident
that with your help, she will face it with
faith and courage."
Ten years after Reagan announced his Alzheimer's disease,
in an open letter to the American people,
he reached the end of his long journey,
at his home in Bel Air, California, on June 5, 2004
in the company of his wife and their children.
"Whatever else history may say about me when I'm gone,
I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes,
not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts.
My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty's lamp
guiding your steps and opportunity's arm steadying your way."
~Ronald W. Reagan~
Never to be forgotten and will live in our memories forever.
Let us all pray, that his Nancy and their children will be covered in peace and comfort, knowing they will be reunited again with their beloved one.
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Thank You For Stopping By..Please Sign My Guest Book If You Wish.."God Bless" Cindylou
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