While visiting So Cal, I had the opportunity to visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library (and burial for both Ronald + Nancy Reagan). This place was IMPRESSIVE! I've visited a few presidential libraries (in fact, a day earlier the Nixon Library) and this one kicks the rest of their butts! So, it was not shocking to me to learn that this Presidential library is the LARGEST among the 16 federally operated Presidential libraries. Apparently, I'm not alone in thinking Ronald Reagan, the Gipper, was one of our best Presidents ever!
TRIVIA Tiiiiiime!
Reagan earned his nickname, The Gipper, surprisingly not from his term in office, but from playing an acting role! Reagan's first big acting gig was portraying the ill-fated football star, George Gipp (in the movie, Knute Rockne - All-American)...
Why was Reagan so popular?
He was known as the "Great Communicator" because he was terrific orator!
His speeches and quotes were iconic. His sense of humor was refreshing!
He believed in small unobtrusive government.
He lowered income taxes by 25% by cutting the fat in frivolous government spending.
He had such an optimism + love for the Country!
How he handled the Unions, specifically the Air Traffic Controller's Strike! (he fired 11,539 who refused to report back to work!)
Like Donald Trump, he was originally a democrat; but he ran for office on the Republican ticket.
Like Trump, he was also an actor (Trump was a reality tv star)
Reagan was the only President of the United States who was shot and survived (in an assassination attempt...6 bullets were shot one hitting the Press Secretary, James Brady). Reagan became a hero!
(okay, obviously there is more to write here, but I'm going to get back to the Library)
Located in Ventura County in Simi Valley, California, the venue overlook and grounds do not disappoint. I literally woke up from truck camping as soon as the sun rose, threw on a ball cap, and we were there before the place opened. The security guards were super friendly and waved to us through the windows as we walked around (and even let us get some shots by the burial spot)...
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is a repository of ALL the presidential records during his administrative term as our 40th POTUS. Probably one of the coolest things to see here is the memorabilia of the Air Force One + the Marine One (see pics below!)
Here we are at the "Air Force One Pavilion!" This is a 90,000 SF hangar that houses the Boeing 707 - SAM 27000 used by Reagan + 6 other Presidents from 1973 - 2001 (including Nixon, Ford, Carter, Bush Sr., Clinton, and George W.)
This Air Force One was officially retired in 2001. In "Operation Homeward Bound," the aircraft was flown to San Bernardino International Airport in September of 2001. The plane was disassembled by the manufacturer + transported to the Ronald Reagan Presidential library (where it was not only reassembled in this hangar, but it was restored to museum quality)...
The Pavilion was dedicated on October 24, 2005 by Nancy Reagan and then President George W. Bush and then First Lady, Laura Bush.
Whoa...we picked Bella up before she became a snack!
Alright, here we are at the internment site...
Setting up the photos...isn't Bella adorable?
My quintessential shot at the Ronald + Nancy Reagan burial spot. Both were laid to rest in an underground vault.
Reagan died at the age of 93 in his Belair home. He had battled Alzheimer's for 10 years. Following his death, his casket was transported to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on June 7, 2004 via hearse. From June 7-9, the casket lay in repose where over 150,000 visitors paid their respects. His body was then flown to DC where it lay in repose in the Capitol Rotunda. The casket was then flown BACK to the Library for the last memorial and internment.
On March 6, 2016 at the age of 94, Nancy Reagan lost her battle with congestive heart failure. She was laid to rest next to her husband in the underground vault.
In 2007 there was a HUGE scandal at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Over 80,000 artifacts were stolen or reported missing. The scandal was blamed on poor managment. Wait, the government mismanages??? Noooooo
There is a section of the Berlin Wall located within the Library!
Some of my favorite quotes from The Gipper:
"We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather that the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions."
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."
"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
"The trouble with our Liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just they know so much that isn't so."
"The government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives."
"If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be nation gone under."
"Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means."
"We are never defeated unless we give up on God."
When asked, at age of 73, during the 1984 Presidential debate against Walter Mondale whether or not he was too old to hold the office, he famously quipped (another classic example of his sense of humor):
"I will not make age an issue in this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience."
And I'll end with his famous speech at the Berlin Wall:
"We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev...Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you not only enjoy your freedoms this weekend but remember where they came from! (angry white men with guns)
Stay hydrated and don't lose any fingers!
Love,
Kimmie
Amazing…… Thanks for that! I would love to visit there, eventually. Perfect…..
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