Throwback Thursdays

40 years ago this month, President Reagan was delighted to accept an award, presented to him at the 84th Annual Dinner of the Irish-American Society in New York City. He was introduced by Dr. Kevin Cahill, president of the Society, who presented the President with a medal representing the Society's highest award. Now of course, it’s an honor receive an award. But what the President truly enjoyed was a chance to celebrate his Irish heritage and tell a few stories himself.

In this week’s Throwback Thursday with President Reagan, we hear President Reagan’s hopes for his presidential library, which he shared on November 4, 1991.

So today the subject is Presidential Libraries because this month we’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. But wait, here’s a question for ya – who was the first President to have a Presidential Library by leaving his papers to the Federal Government? The answer is FDR who not only left his papers, but ultimately, his Hyde Park residence. So, that’s why we hear about George Washington’s or Thomas Jefferson’s or Lincoln’s papers in private collections because earlier, when a President left office, he just packed up the work product and went home. So, after FDR left his to the government, President Truman followed suit, leaving his papers to the government at which point Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act, providing Federal Funding for the preservation of the work product of the White House.

President Reagan believed in the importance of hard work, small communities and entrepreneurism. In his autobiography, An American Life, he wrote, “A lot of our growth during the 80s didn’t come from the giants of American industry, but from smaller, innovative companies that tapped new markets, often with new products born out of their own ingenuity. Most of those millions of new jobs produced during the economic expansion were created by entrepreneurs – independent businesspeople pursuing one of the oldest of American dreams.”

When a President enters office, he inherits unfinished business from the prior administration. 40 years ago, one of the bits of dicey business he inherited was a promise made by President Carter to sell AWACS or Advance Radar Surveillance Aircraft to Saudi Arabia.

President Reagan believed in working together for the common good – no matter the political affiliation, no matter if you worked for the government or if you were a civilian. In 1982 he once said, “Sometimes we don't always agree, but I remain appreciative, because I'm listening, and I'm willing to go that extra mile to make certain we strengthen our partnership.

240 years ago, on October 19, 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered his army of some 8,000 men to General George Washington at Yorktown, giving up any chance of winning the Revolutionary War. Cornwallis had marched his army into the Virginia port town earlier that summer expecting to meet British ships sent from New York. The ships never arrived.

As Governor of California and President of the United States, Ronald Reagan advocated strongly for States' Rights; for putting more authority in the hands of the states and out of the hands of the federal government.

40 years ago, on October 6, 1981, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated. Both President and Mrs. Reagan were deeply disturbed to learn of this tragedy, as only two months before, they warmly welcomed President Sadat and his wife to the White House and honored them with a state dinner. In this podcast, we’ll learn about the tragic assassination attempt, the funeral and in the second half of the podcast, the relationship that developed between the Reagans and the Sadats in August 1981.

Ronald Reagan was raised that all men and women were equal, regardless of their background or skin color.