Throwback Thursdays

In this week’s Words to Live By, we honor St. Patrick’s Day, the cultural and religious celebration held each year on March 17th, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland.  The holiday has evolved over the years into a celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, drinking…and a whole lot of green! Ronald Reagan’s ancestral homeland was Ballyporeen, Ireland, and he was extremely proud of his Irish roots.  In June of 1984, during a diplomatic mission to Ireland, President and Mrs. Reagan visited Ballyporeen, where he discovered a local pub named in his honor!

Since President Reagan he held a special fondness for St. Patrick’s Day as it tied directly into his Irish roots, we celebrate this holiday in this week’s Throwback Thursday with President Reagan Podcast.

The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the executive branch of the federal government of the United, States, especially with regard to the president, senior aides and executives, as well as government policies. The press secretary is responsible for collecting information about actions and events within the president's administration and issues the administration's reactions to developments around the world. The press secretary interacts with the media and the White House press corps on a daily basis. President Reagan selected James Brady for his first White House Press Secretary. Just 40 when Ronald Reagan gave him the White House job, he had already served as a spokesman for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Office of Management and Budget and the Pentagon, and for the failed presidential campaign of Texas Republican John Connally.Exactly two months into the job, on March 21, 1981, President Reagan joined in the fun during a roast in honor of Press Secretary Brady.

President Reagan often spoke about open communication, reaching across the aisle, and working together for the greater good.

While in office, President Reagan visited 26 foreign countries, and countless U.S. cities, traveling over 660,000 miles in Air Force One – more than any other president at that time. His first visit outside of the United States?  To Canada, in March of 1981.  We learn more about this trip in this week’s Words To Live By Podcast.

We honor President and Mrs. Reagan in what would have been their 67th wedding anniversary in this week’s Throwback Thursday with President Reagan Podcast.

President Reagan stood for many things – including peace, equality and the belief in God. In this week's Throwback Thursday, we take a look at one of President Reagan's speeches, where he spoke about serving the American People.

Presidents Day' is celebrated on the third Monday in February each year. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, the holiday is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past and present.

A White House state dinner honors a visiting head of government or reigning monarch and is one of the grandest and most glamorous of White House affairs. It is part of an official state visit and provides the president and first lady the opportunity to honor the visiting head of state and his or her spouse. It is a courtesy—an expression of goodwill—a way of extending hospitality. It brings to mind the tradition of breaking bread with friends to seal a friendship. It is an event that also showcases global power and influence. The traditional toasts exchanged by the two leaders at the dinner offer an important and appropriate platform for the continuation of the serious dialogue that has taken place earlier in the day. Let’s now listen to the Toasts of President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher at the first State Dinner, on February 26, 1981.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we celebrate President and Mrs. Reagan’s love story in this week’s Throwback Thursday with President Reagan podcast.