Continuing with my quest to visit all of the Presidential Libraries and Museums in chronological order, I journeyed to Simi Valley, California, in mid-October to tour those honoring Ronald Reagan, the Fortieth President of the United States and one of my favorites. Again, I was fortunate in securing First Class domestic travel on American Airlines using only 65,000 British Airways Avios points and paying a modest $11.20 fee. This time, I was sure my Trusted Traveler number appeared on the American Airlines boarding passes for my Wednesday afternoon flights beginning at the Raleigh-Durham Airport (RDU) which ensured my security screening at TSA PreCheck went off without a hitch. Of course, no airport visit for me would be complete without a stop at an airline lounge and I made sure I had plenty of time to visit the Admirals Club before departing on the first leg to Dallas. The club was crowded on that afternoon but I was lucky to secure a seat at one of the high tops. Hoping to get some work done, I had no sooner opened my laptop when the woman at the next table spilled her glass of Prosecco. Unfortunately, a good bit ended up on my newly-cleaned sports jacket, which I had placed over the chair opposite my seat. She apologized and rushed off to get some club soda and proceeded to rub it all over my already wet jacket. I ended up getting a hair dryer from the shower and spending fifteen minutes drying the jacket before I left the club, but the stain was still visible. Oh well, accidents will happen.
My flight departed about a half hour behind schedule at 1:44 PM, putting us into the Dallas Fort Worth Airport on time at approximately 3:34 PM. Since my connection to Los Angeles wasn’t leaving until 6:30 in the evening, I paid a visit to the American Express Centurion Lounge across from Gate D 12. These lounges are much better than those operated by the airlines with upgraded food and beverage options offered in an upscale setting. The only problem is that they have become so popular it’s often difficult to find a table to enjoy a meal. On this occasion, however, I was simply looking for a quiet spot to tackle the work I was unable to complete at the Admirals Club in Raleigh And, I wasn’t really hungry after enjoying a tasty charcuterie plate lunch onboard the aircraft with Sliced Prosciutto and Salami, along with with Marinated Mozzarella, Olives and Roasted Tomatoes. It was served with a Broccoli Salad, Sourdough Flatbread and a Chocolate Chip Brownie for dessert. The selection is one of the more popular meals offered by the airline in domestic First Class. Our flight to Los Angeles departed on time from Gate C 27 and by then I was hungry and selected the Cajun Chicken Salad for dinner with Seasoned Chicken on Mixed Greens with Charred Corn, Sliced Egg, Diced Tomatoes and Cotija Cheese. (In retrospect, while the airline meals were good, I should have skipped them entirely and eaten at the Centurion Lounge instead.) We touched down at LAX about 7:45 PM and within the hour, I was settled into my room at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel.
Thursday morning dawned bright and early and I had a quick bite to eat from the breakfast buffet in the hotel’s M Club Lounge on the 18th Floor. I'll admit to then having some difficulty in locating the Hertz Car Rental Office at the hotel as there was no signage. After walking around in a circle starting and ending in the lobby, a very pleasant front desk employee walked me over to the office which, it turns out, I passed right by earlier. With the paperwork completed and strapped in for the drive, I was all set. The trip up to Simi Valley took about an hour and twenty minutes, traveling though some beautiful scenery en route through the Santa Rosa Mountains. I arrived just before the 10:00 AM opening and was impressed with the Spanish Colonial architecture. It was designed by the Boston firm of Hugh Stebbins and speaks to the history of California architecture as well as to Rancho del Cielo, the Reagans’ former ranch. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation invested approximately $65 million on the campus-like project encompassing 29 acres of the 100 acre site. The balance of the property remains in its natural state and includes a designated area of protected species. It's really quite a breathtaking locale.
The museum experience begins with a stark white corridor leading to bronze statues of Mr. and Mrs. Reagan. Around the corner, a widescreen presentation introduces visitors to the man and his milestones. Initial exhibits chronicle the early life of Ronald Reagan, which was strongly influenced by lessons he learned from his parents John (Jack) Edward Reagan and Nelle Wilson Reagan. Born on February 6, 1911, in the rural town of Tampico, Illinois, Reagan was given the nickname “Dutch” by his father, who believed he looked like “a fat little Dutchman” when he was born. In 1920, the family moved to Dixon, Illinois, which he always considered his hometown and where his love for the outdoors flourished. After high school, Ronald Reagan attended Eureka College, a small liberal arts college where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and sociology. Reagan was extremely active during his college years leading up to his graduation in 1932; he was part of the football, swimming and track teams and a member of the student senate and school yearbook.
Reagan worked for several years as a sports announcer for WHO Radio in Des Moines, IA, IA after college. He would call Chicago Cubs games, but rather than being at the game, he would recreate the action from nothing but a slip of paper typed by a telegraph operator who was transcribing plays sent by Morse Code. By 1937, Ronald "Dutch" Reagan was a popular baseball radio announcer and local Des Moines newspaper columnist when he travelled to California to cover the Chicago Cubs spring training camp. While in Los Angeles, he met a talent agent who arranged a screen test for Warner Brothers. The studio was impressed by Reagan's on-camera presence and offered the 26-year-old a contract at $200 per week. Reagan moved to Los Angeles in June of '37, just weeks after the film producers accepted the fledgling Screen Actors Guild (SAG) as the actors' official union. On June 30th he paid his $25 SAG initiation fee and became "a union man." By 1941, Reagan had joined the the SAG Board of Directors. He soon rose to Third Vice President, and was ultimately elected President in 1947. Just ten years after arriving from Iowa, Reagan now led the union representing the biggest movie stars in the world. He was subsequently re-elected for five consecutive one-year terms. As SAG President, he became embroiled in disputes over the issue of Communism in the film industry and soon his political views shifted from being a liberal Democrat to that of a conservative Republican.
The General Electric Theatre exhibit detailed Reagan’s years from 1954 to 1962 as host of the popular television broadcast of the same name. His contract with GE also entailed work as a motivational speaker for the company. After eight years as host, Reagan estimated he had visited approximately one hundred thirty-five GE research and manufacturing facilities, and met over 250,000 people. During that time, he became a spokesman for conservatism and spoke at any number of other forums such as Rotary Clubs and Moose Lodges, presenting his views on economic progress. Reagan, who would later be known as The Great Communicator because of his oratorical ability, often credited these engagements as helping him develop his public-speaking abilities. All visitors to this exhibit were invited to participate in a green screen experience, where we were able to see ourselves inserted into archival footage to trade lines with Reagan in the film "Knute Rockne: All American" or to host GE Theater, or to call a Chicago Cubs game in the 1935 World Series. That experience proved popular on the day of my visit and helped bring the museum to life.
“The Governor Years” was the next display. It first took us back to Barry Goldwater's Presidential Campaign of 1964 when Reagan emerged as a leading conservative spokesman. During the last week of that campaign, he delivered a 30-minute televised address called "A Time for Choosing." It resulted in $1 million in campaign contributions for Republican candidates, the most attributed to any political speech in history! It catapulted him onto the national political stage and made Reagan an instant hero of the Republican right. Two years later, he received his party's nomination for Governor of California. Regan campaigned on fiscal responsibility and limiting the size of the state government and he won the election by nearly one million votes that November. His two terms at the helm in Sacramento from 1967 to 1975 saw him erase a substantial budget deficit inherited from the previous Democratic administration of Pat Brown and institute needed reforms to the state’s welfare programs.
There was so much more to see at the Reagan Library and Museum, and I’ll tell you all about it in a future post.
Until next time…safe travels.
Very interesting background detail to a President we know of, but only as Maggie Thatcher's boyfriend! Look forward to the next instalment ... Merry Christmas - hope you dodge the bomb cyclone! 😱