I grew up in the 60s & JFK became & remains my hero. JFK+50 highlights the key events relating to JFK in an "on this day in history" format & includes other events in US & world history. The daily postings read as if published in a newspaper on the day of the event.
PRESIDENT REAGAN SAYS "SO LONG" Washington, D.C.(JFK+50) Twenty-seven years ago this evening, the 40th President of the United States Ronald Wilson Reagan* gave his Farewell Address from the Oval Office at the White House. The address was carried live on national radio and television. The speech marked the 34th time President Reagan had spoken to the American people from the Oval Office. The President began by saying... "It's been the honor of my life to be your President. Nancy and I are grateful for the opportunity you gave us to serve." The things that Mr. Reagan said he was proudest of during eight years of service was "the economic recovery....(and) the recovery of our morale." He said..."America is respected again in the world and looked to for leadership." While the President went on to acknowledge the nickname "The Great Communicator" which had been given to him, he said that "I never thought it was my....words...that made a difference, it was the content." *Ronald Wilson Reagan (1911-2004) was born in Tampico, IL. He graduated from Eureka College and then entered a career in Hollywood where he starred in over 50 films. RWR served as Governor of California for two terms & later two more as POTUS. Diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 1994, the former president died in Los Angeles at the age of 93. SOURCE "Ronald Reagan, Biography," www.biography.com/
RONALD REAGAN SAYS GOODBYE Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Twenty-five years ago this evening, January 11, 1989, Ronald Wilson Reagan*, the 40th President of the United States, gave his Farewell Address from the Oval Office in the West Wing at the White House.
Ronald Wilson Reagan
Official White House Photo
The President's address, carried live on national radio and television, marked the 34th time Mr. Reagan had spoken to the American people from the Oval Office. The President began by saying: "It's been the honor of my life to be your President. Nancy and I are grateful for the opportunity you gave us to serve." The things that Mr. Reagan said he was proudest of during eight years of service included... "the economic recovery....(and) the recovery of our morale." He said: "America is respected again in the world and looked to for leadership." While the President went on to acknowledge the nickname "The Great Communicator," which had been applied to him because of his skills as an orator dating back to his days in radio, television and motion pictures, he said ... "I never thought it was my....words...that made a difference, it was the content." The President continued: "As long as we believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours. We meant to change a nation and instead we changed a world." On the negative side, Mr. Reagan admitted that some things had changed for the worse in the 1980s. He said: "Young parents aren't sure that an unambivalent approval of America is the right thing to teach modern children....(but) we've got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom--and freedom is special & and rare." He continued: "We've got to teach history based on not what's in fashion but what's important--why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle was and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant." Mr. Reagan advised: "Let's start with some basics: more attention to American history and a greater emphasis on civic ritual." As was his style, however, President Reagan finished on a positive note. He said: "My friends. We did it. We made a difference. We made the city (on a hill) stronger; we made the city freer and we left her in good hands."**
Nancy and Ronald Reagan
Boating in California in 1964
*Ronald Wilson Reagan (1911-2004) was born in Tampico, Illinois and educated at Eureka College. He worked as a radio broadcaster in Iowa before pursuing an acting career in Hollywood. He starred in the 1940s films "Knute Rockne, All-American," and "Kings Row." Mr. Reagan served in the United States Army Air Force from 1937 to 1945 and entered politics as a Democrat in the 1950s. In 1962, he became a Republican and served as Governor of California from 1967 to 1975. After leaving the White House, the former president was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Ronald and Nancy Reagan
Los Angeles, California, 1992
Ronald Reagan Foundation Photo
**reference to John Winthrop's "A City on the Hill" sermon that argued that the Pilgrim settlement in America would be a shining example for the world.
