Remembering Ronald Reagan
On June 5, 2004, just six years ago today, former President Ronald Reagan passed away at the age of 93, following a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. The diagnosis had been made 10 years earlier in August of 1993. He informed the public in a handwritten letter in November of that year, in which he said:
"I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who will be afflicted with Alzheimer's Disease... At the moment I feel just fine. I intend to live the remainder of the years God gives me on this earth doing the things I have always done... I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead. Thank you, my friends. May God always bless you."
The disease progressed and slowly destroyed Reagan's mental capacity. He was only able to recognize a few people, including his wife, Nancy. Reagan suffered a fall at his Bel Air home on January 13, 2001, resulting in a broken hip. The fracture was repaired the following day and the then 89 year old Reagan returned home later that week, although he faced difficult physical therapy at home. Reagan's public appearances became much less frequent with the progression of the disease, and as a result, his family decided that he would live in quiet isolation. Nancy Reagan told CNN's Larry King in 2001 that "Ronnie would want people to remember him as he was."
President Reagan died at his home in Bel Air, California. Nancy Reagan released a statement saying: "My family and I would like the world to know that President Ronald Reagan has died after 10 years of Alzheimer's Disease at 93 years of age. We appreciate everyone's prayers." President George W. Bush declared June 11 a National Day of Mourning. Reagan's body was taken to the Kingsley and Gates Funeral Home in Santa Monica, California later in the day, where well-wishers paid tribute by laying flowers and American flags in the grass. On June 7, his body was removed and taken to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, where a brief family funeral was held. His body lay in repose in the Library lobby until June 9. Over 100,000 people viewed the coffin.
On June 9, Reagan's body was flown to Washington, D.C. where he became the tenth United States president to lie in state at the capitol rotunda. In the thirty-four hours that it lay there, 104,684 people filed past the coffin.
On June 11, a state funeral was conducted in the Washington National Cathedral, and presided over by President George W. Bush. Eulogies were given by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and both Presidents Bush. Also in attendance were Mikhail Gorbachev, and many world leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and interim presidents Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, and Ghazi al-Yawer of Iraq.
After the funeral, the Reagan family was flown back to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, where another service was held, and President Reagan was interred. He is the second longest-lived president in U.S. history, having lived 93 years and 120 days, just 45 days fewer than Gerald Ford.
His burial site is inscribed with the words he delivered at the opening of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: "I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph and that there is purpose and worth to each and every life."
Nancy Reagan become a stem-cell research advocate, urging Congress and President George W. Bush to support federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, something President Bush opposed. Mrs. Reagan has said that she believes that it could lead to a cure for Alzheimer's. President Barack Obama reversed federal opposition to funding embryonic stem cell research with tax-payer dollars in 2009.
Behind the cut are some pictures I took when I visited the Reagan Library in April of 2006, including one of President Reagan's resting place.
1. This is the front of the building. It's high atop a hill in Simi Valley. The view was nice and I took lots of pictures, but despite the lack of cloud cover, it was very hazy, likely the famous LA smog.
2. At the entrance to the museum is this nice bronze statue of Cowboy Ronnie.
3. This is a pic of a lifesize portrait of President Reagan. It looks like he's walking right out of the wall.
4. They have an actual Air Force One that Reagan used. I got a nice picture of myself at the entrance to the plane and really found the walk through the inside of the plane very interesting. Here is a shot of the plane from outside the building.
5. Reagan's gravesite is at the back of the museum overlooking a spectacular view of Simi Valley.
6. I found these signs kind of interesting. They were all over the grass at the edge before the drop off to the valley. I didn't see any snakes though and was grateful for that.
7-8. Probably the most famous event attributed to (but occurring after) Reagan's term is the tearing down of the Berlin wall. They have a piece of the wall, shown here, behind the museum. The last picture is of the plaque beside it.
"I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who will be afflicted with Alzheimer's Disease... At the moment I feel just fine. I intend to live the remainder of the years God gives me on this earth doing the things I have always done... I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead. Thank you, my friends. May God always bless you."
The disease progressed and slowly destroyed Reagan's mental capacity. He was only able to recognize a few people, including his wife, Nancy. Reagan suffered a fall at his Bel Air home on January 13, 2001, resulting in a broken hip. The fracture was repaired the following day and the then 89 year old Reagan returned home later that week, although he faced difficult physical therapy at home. Reagan's public appearances became much less frequent with the progression of the disease, and as a result, his family decided that he would live in quiet isolation. Nancy Reagan told CNN's Larry King in 2001 that "Ronnie would want people to remember him as he was."
President Reagan died at his home in Bel Air, California. Nancy Reagan released a statement saying: "My family and I would like the world to know that President Ronald Reagan has died after 10 years of Alzheimer's Disease at 93 years of age. We appreciate everyone's prayers." President George W. Bush declared June 11 a National Day of Mourning. Reagan's body was taken to the Kingsley and Gates Funeral Home in Santa Monica, California later in the day, where well-wishers paid tribute by laying flowers and American flags in the grass. On June 7, his body was removed and taken to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, where a brief family funeral was held. His body lay in repose in the Library lobby until June 9. Over 100,000 people viewed the coffin.
On June 9, Reagan's body was flown to Washington, D.C. where he became the tenth United States president to lie in state at the capitol rotunda. In the thirty-four hours that it lay there, 104,684 people filed past the coffin.
On June 11, a state funeral was conducted in the Washington National Cathedral, and presided over by President George W. Bush. Eulogies were given by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and both Presidents Bush. Also in attendance were Mikhail Gorbachev, and many world leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and interim presidents Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, and Ghazi al-Yawer of Iraq.
After the funeral, the Reagan family was flown back to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, where another service was held, and President Reagan was interred. He is the second longest-lived president in U.S. history, having lived 93 years and 120 days, just 45 days fewer than Gerald Ford.
His burial site is inscribed with the words he delivered at the opening of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: "I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph and that there is purpose and worth to each and every life."
Nancy Reagan become a stem-cell research advocate, urging Congress and President George W. Bush to support federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, something President Bush opposed. Mrs. Reagan has said that she believes that it could lead to a cure for Alzheimer's. President Barack Obama reversed federal opposition to funding embryonic stem cell research with tax-payer dollars in 2009.
Behind the cut are some pictures I took when I visited the Reagan Library in April of 2006, including one of President Reagan's resting place.
1. This is the front of the building. It's high atop a hill in Simi Valley. The view was nice and I took lots of pictures, but despite the lack of cloud cover, it was very hazy, likely the famous LA smog.
2. At the entrance to the museum is this nice bronze statue of Cowboy Ronnie.
3. This is a pic of a lifesize portrait of President Reagan. It looks like he's walking right out of the wall.
4. They have an actual Air Force One that Reagan used. I got a nice picture of myself at the entrance to the plane and really found the walk through the inside of the plane very interesting. Here is a shot of the plane from outside the building.
5. Reagan's gravesite is at the back of the museum overlooking a spectacular view of Simi Valley.
6. I found these signs kind of interesting. They were all over the grass at the edge before the drop off to the valley. I didn't see any snakes though and was grateful for that.
7-8. Probably the most famous event attributed to (but occurring after) Reagan's term is the tearing down of the Berlin wall. They have a piece of the wall, shown here, behind the museum. The last picture is of the plaque beside it.