SPOTLIGHT ON AMERICAN ANNIVERSARIES
FEB 6, 1911 ● 100 YEARS
Deep in the American heartland — somewhere between the Left Coast movie studios where Ronald Reagan made a face for himself in the 1950s and the White House, where he resided in the 1980s — lies the village of Tampico, IL, occupying less than half a square mile along Illinois Route 172. Here, in 1911, in an apartment above a tavern, was born the boy who would become a movie star and later the 40th president of the United States.
John Edward Reagan opined that his new baby resembled “a little bit of a fat Dutchman” — hence, Ronald Reagan’s lifelong nickname of “Dutch.”
After a two-decade career in the movies and television and a stint as governor of California, Reagan, at age 69, became the oldest person elected to the White House on the promise of a “new morning in America,” inspiring Americans to “recapture our destiny.” The Great Communicator asserted, “America is back.”
An optimist with a strong faith in God, the conservative ideologue became an enduring hero to the right wing with his economic policy, dubbed Reaganomics, which included cutting federal tax rates, reducing government spending and returning responsibility for social programs to the states in order to stimulate economic growth. “Government is not the solution. Government is the problem,” he often repeated.
Dubbed “the Teflon president,” he survived the Iran-Contra affair and unprecedented budget deficits seemingly unscathed. His major achievement was the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) nuclear arms treaty with the Soviet Union, which reduced nuclear arsenals and immediately preceded the toppling of the Berlin Wall.
After two terms, Reagan retired to Los Angeles, CA, where he died June 5, 2004.
On June 2, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act to commemorate the late leader’s birthday. John Heubusch, executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, said, “True to form for Ronald Reagan, the legislation calls for no taxpayer funds.”
In 2011, the US Postal Service will issue a commemorative Ronald Reagan stamp, marking the third time a US stamp has been created in his honor.
The 2011 festivities officially step off Jan 1 in Pasadena, CA, where the Tournament of Roses parade will be led by a Reagan-themed Rose Bowl float. The bulk of events, however, are to be centered on Reagan’s actual Feb 6 birthday and will include galas in Washington, DC, and California. That same day, the newly transformed museum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA, will open to the public with state-of-the-art virtual exhibits. In the evening, the Hollywood Bowl will host the star-studded Centennial Concert for America.
Feb 6 also marks the kickoff of the Reagan Torch of Freedom, a cross-country tour that follows historic Route 66 through the American heartland and continues east to end at the US Capitol on July 4.
Reagan described his early childhood in Tampico as “a rare Huck Finn idyll.” To celebrate these origins, the northwestern Illinois village has commissioned a bronze statue to be placed in the park across the street from the building where he was born.
www.chases.com ● Chase’s Calendar of Events 2011