Personal Memories of Reagan

I got to see Ronald Reagan twice during the 1980's....

The first time I saw him was in October 1980 just a few weeks before the election. I was 15 and wanted to vote so bad.
He came to Riverside, California to a huge cheering throng of people. There were 6 helicopters in his enterouge which had a dramatic effect, like an invading military force.
He gave his campaign stump speech, including the comment:

Recession is when your neighbor loses their job. Depression is when you lose your job. Recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his job

That drew a big cheer from the gathered crowd.
You could sense a revoloution underway, and a few weeks later we all were made aware how big it was when Reagan won in a landslide.

The second time I saw him was just before the election in November 1988.
He came to San Bernardino to campaign for George H.W. Bush, and he was a sharp as he was when I saw him 8 years before.

He was a very tall man, and stood out in the crowd. I could not get close to him to shake his hand, but being there to see him was the next best thing.

He was indeed a powerful presence.

I remember the day he left office- I felt like I lost a protective grandfather.

Posted by dr at June 7, 2004 09:33 AM | TrackBack