Ronald Reagan was certainly an interesting choice to elect as our nation’s 40th President. Never before had America sent a former-Hollywood actor to the highest office in the land – when we elected Reagan for two consecutive terms from 1981-1989. Politics of course wasn’t completely new to him as he had served as President of the Screen Actors Guild and later two terms as California’s Governor. Having grown up during the 1980′s, I feel that he is as much a part of the American tapestry of that era as Michael Jackson.
Most notable during Reagan’s administration was his sweeping economic policy known as ‘Reaganomics’ which helped to recover the economy, pave the way for the wealth of the 90′s, and arguably contribute the current recession of the late 2000′s. His talks with the Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbechev led to the treaty that effectively ended the Cold War, and eventually saw the lowering of the Berlin Wall during his successor George Bush’s term. Reagan was the oldest President ever to take office and the only one who had ever been divorced. I learned much about Reagan’s life and administration from the spoken version of his autobiography Ronald Reagan: An American Life.
The following are the major sites relevant to Ronald Reagan’s life which I have visited…
Saturday, October 1, 2005 – The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library -The Reagan Library is located in Simi Valley, California, and I visited with my friend Bob during my 2005 trip to California. It was a quite interesting library with lots of great displays including a temporary exhibit featuring actors’ costumes from a variety of western films. It was interesting that throughout the entire museum, there was only one photo of Reagan’s first wife Jane Wyman. They also had the original booth from the restaurant that Ronnie proposed to Nancy.
I’m in this picture if you look hard enough
The booth from Chasens where the Ronnie proposed to Nancy
Outside, I also posed for a photo with a piece of the Berlin Wall. In the gift shop, I purchased the obligatory book about the Presidents that I tend to buy at every Presidential Library, a book about the states, a magnet, and a book written and signed by Reagan’s adopted son Michael.
I’m harder to find than Waldo, stuck behind the Berlin Wall
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 – Ronald Reagan Bel Air home – Although we were able to see very little other than the gate outside (and the garbage cans), Bob and I swung by the current residence of First Lady Nancy Reagan and former residence of President Ronald Reagan. This was the home in which Reagan passed away in 2004, the victim of Alzheimer’s. The Reagans acquired this mansion located at 668 St. Cloud Road in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles, California. The original address was 666, but Nancy insisted that it be changed.
Outside the Reagans’ Bel Air home in California. Because of that white security camera, I opted not to scale the fence
Saturday, October 1, 2005 – Ronald Reagan Grave – The President’s grave is located in a very scenic area outside the museum with a beautiful view overlooking an uninhabited valley range. Reagan had passed away the year prior to my Reagan Library visit.
I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph and there is a purpose and worth to each and every life…President Reagan’s final resting place
The view from his gravesite
Ronald Reagan and me
Presidential Autographs from the Reagans – Although I do not have any autographs of President Reagan himself (the one that I thought that I had on a letter to me from December 1983 turned out to be an autopen, much to my chagrin), I did acquire a legitimate autograph of First Lady Nancy Reagan through the mail in mid-1999.
In addition, I purchased the book In the Words of Ronald Reagan by his adopted son Michael at the Reagan Library (mentioned above), which had been signed on a bookplate by him. My friend Bob also attended a book signing by Reagan’s daughter Patti Davis, where she signed her book The Long Goodbye, detailing her relationship with her father.
Book signed by Patti Davis
Other Reagan-related autographs in my collection include Reagan’s first wife Jane Wyman (seen here) and his Press Secretary James Brady (seen here), who took a bullet in his head during the assassination attempt on the President in 1981.
Continue to the next President…
Return to Saturday 2005 in California…
Return to Tuesday 2009 in California…
DUTCH! Best nickname ever.
Just sayin’…
Eric Hubble
December 17th, 2009