A Tribute to Ronald Reagan

President Reagan's Second Inaugural Address



Ronald Reagan on Capitalism and Socialism



Tribute to Ronald Reagan



Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale in Second Debate



State of the Union Address 1983



Reagan Funeral Hymn: O Love of God, How Strong and True



Ronald Reagan Funeral: His Final Journey



Tomorrow, February 6, 2011 will mark the centennial of Ronald Reagan's birthday.  Ronald Reagan was born 100 years ago on February 6, 1911.  He was born in Tampico, Illinois.  His parents were Jack and Nelle Reagan.  He grew up in Dixon Illinois.  Following graduation from high school, Reagan worked his way through Eureka College.  He studied economics and sociology and played on Eureka's football team, and acted in school plays.  He later moved to Iowa to work for WHO radio as a radio sports announcer.  In 1937 Reagan went to Hollywood as a result of a screen test and was rewarded a contract with them.  He became an actor.  He was president of the Screen Actors Guild several times.  During the years that he was president of the Screen Actors Guild, he was embroiled in disputes over the issue of communism in the film industry.  As a result of his work with the Screen Actors Guild, his political views shifted from liberal to conservative.  At one time he was a liberal Democrat who supported Harry Truman for president in 1948.  He shifted political parties around 1964.  He switched his registration from Democrat to Republican. 

In 1940, President Reagan married Hollywood actress Jane Wyman.  They had three children.  Maureen, their oldest child was born in 1941.  Michael Reagan was adopted by Ron and Jane in 1945.  Ron and Jane both bore Christine in 1947, but she was stillborn.  In 1948 Ron and Jane separated and the divorce became finalized in 1949.  On March 4, 1952, Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis married.  They both bore two children of their own: Patti and Ron.  In 1954, Reagan was hired to star in a television series entitled, "General Electric Theater".  That show ran from 1954 to 1962.  During that time, Reagan had the responsibility to tour several General Electric plants around the nation.  That was part of his job responsibility working under General Electric.  In 1964 Reagan campaigned for Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater for president.  Reagan's rise began with the famous speech he made on behalf of Goldwater entitled, "A Time for Choosing."

In 1966, Ronald Reagan beat incumbent Pat Brown to become the governor of California.  He was the California governor for two terms.  He was the 33rd governor of California.  In 1976, Reagan ran in the Republican primary against President Gerald Ford.  The contest was close, but Ford barely won the primary.  In 1980, Reagan made another run for the presidency and this time he beat incumbent President Jimmy Carter.  Reagan had inherited a terrible economy and the world scene wasn't good with the Islamic radicals taking over Iran after the Shah was overthrown.  Sixty nine days following Reagan's inauguration, he was shot by John Hinckley, Jr.  Thankfully, he survived the assassination attempt.  Reagan was president for two terms.  He restored America's confidence in itself.  He set out to restore the confidence of the American people in our great nation.  He set out to reduce America's reliance upon government.  He had reduced the top marginal tax rate to help stimulate the economy.  The nation experienced unprecedented economic growth.  He worked to curb inflation.  He increased defense spending by 35%.  He promoted the policy of "peace through strength," which eventually helped break up communism in the Soviet Union and around the world. 

Even though Reagan made his share of mistakes as president, he definitely has been the greatest president in my lifetime; definitely since the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963.  He made America proud once again.  He inculcated patriotism in the American people.  That's definitely something that was greatly needed since the no-win Vietnam War in the 1960's.  He believed in the greatness of America.  He didn't give in to pessimism. 

The next two days I'll be featuring YouTube videos giving tribute to the life of the late Ronald Reagan.  Tomorrow will mark the centennial of Ronald Reagan's birth.  I hope you enjoy the videos.

(Information obtained from Whitehouse.gov.)