Last Act
Page 47
Plante, Bill, 94
Playboy, 77
Pinkerton, Jim, 89
Podhoretz, John, 80, 218
Pointe du Hoc (France), 37
Politics of Rich and Poor, The (Phillips), xix
postage stamps, 88, 304
Powell, Colin, 14, 102, 248
presidential libraries
Carter Center, 313
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, 24
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, 76, 291, 313
Reagan Library. See Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Richard Nixon Presidential Library, 24, 178, 281, 313
William J. Clinton Presidential Center, 92, 167–68
presidents, ailments of the various American, 125–27
primaries of 1976, 105
Q
Quayle, Dan, 175, 248
R
Raines, Howell, 318
Rall, Ted, xix
Ramones, 274
Rancho del Cielo, 33, 141, 143, 144, 146, 157, 321
Random House, 80
Rankin, Jeannette, 292
Rather, Dan, xxx, 82, 87, 272
Ray, James Earl, 194
Reagan, Ashley, 109, 269
Reagan, Cameron, 109, 269
Reagan, Colleen, 109, 251, 269
Reagan, Doria (nee Palmieri), 251, 269
Reagan, Jack (Ronald’s father), 48, 62
Reagan, Maureen, 43, 47, 50, 59, 77, 79–80, 82–83, 109, 118, 269, 271, 285, 317
Reagan, Michael, 42, 43, 44, 46, 50, 77, 85, 109, 123, 146, 174, 221, 267, 268, 269, 275, 285, 286
Reagan, Nancy
anti-drug campaign, 301
birth name and adoption, 180
college attended, 41, 55, 120, 180, 318
Congressional Gold Medal for, 59
favorite joke, 318
the family disciplinarian, 47
funeral attire, 110
growth of popularity of, 180
first date with Ronald Reagan, 84
at the gravesite, 267
her book of letters from Reagan, 130
her idea of romance, 120
inadvertent inclusion on a list of suspected communists, 84
letters of condolence to, 279–82
lifeguard days, 121
love between Ronald and, 29, 46–47, 53, 84
My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan, 122, 129, 161
“Nancy gaze,” 193, 271
one of the first to call and offer condolences to, 77
people with whom she spoke in Reagan’s last days, 41–42
private family funeral service led by, 108–9, 110
reaction to husband’s diagnosis, 50
Reagan’s pet name for, 124
speech urging increased stem cell research, 59
statement following her husband’s death, 46
Sunday school teaching, 121
toll and effects of husband’s Alzheimer’s on, 29–30, 59, 130
travels during the ten years of husband’s illness, 59
on when they learned of Reagan’s Alzheimer’s, 129
work and public speaking on behalf of Alzheimer’s research, 134, 301
would always be Mrs. Ronald Reagan, 303
Reagan, Neil, 61, 169
Reagan, Nelle (nee Wilson), xxvii, 45, 56, 124, 293
Reagan, Patti. See Davis, Patti
Reagan, Ron (son of Reagan), 40, 43, 46, 50, 109, 123, 185, 221, 251, 267, 268, 285, 286, 293, 301
Reagan, Ronald (aka “Dutch”; the Gipper)
accomplished writer, 89
acting career, 61, 62–63, 85–86, 314–15
approval rating upon leaving office, xx; among blacks, xxvi
anti-abuse policy of (military), 38
assassination attempt on, xxi, xxv, 28, 58, 88, 96, 194–95, 225, 232, 233, 235
athleticism of, 44, 45, 76
beginning of tradition of handwritten letter to incoming president, 16
beginning of tradition of celebrating the day America saved Europe from Nazism, 37
beliefs about fate and divine destiny, 3
bereavement/funeral plan of (also “the Book”), 44, 56, 64–65, 73–75, 113–14
birthplace, 116, 177, 265
birth weight, 127
campaigns
his most exciting, 67
1968 presidential, 319
1976 presidential, 12, 131, 219, 317
1980 presidential, 11, 13, 17, 28, 49, 60, 92, 131, 141, 157, 193, 210, 218, 220, 228, 294, 309, 317
1984 presidential, 131, 317
cancer and horse-riding injury, 128
casket, weight of, 208, 299
change in attire during last years, 78
coin and currency, discussion about minting Reagan, 177, 178
criticism of, xxvi, xxvii, 76–77, 90–91, 94–96, 191, 197, 204, 214, 228
death
age at, 56, 178
cable ratings following, 197
date of, xiv. See June 5
the difference between the Eastern Europeans’ and the Western Europeans’ response to his, 152
DVD sales and rentals following Reagan’s, 307
film, sports, weather, and national events during month of, 27
headlines announcing, 72
obituary (NYT), 95, 118
official cause of, 46, 124
people attendant at his, 43
popular gifts and books at the time of, 167
popular television shows following Reagan, 307
time of, 43
dementia, did not suffer during presidency, xxii
departure ceremony (from White House), 15–16
designation of November as National Alzheimer’s Disease Month, 3
diary entry on the night before last day of presidency, 14
doctors’ statement regarding his diagnosis, 52
electoral votes for (compared with Mondale and Carter), xxxii
ex-wife. See Wyman, Jane
faith, 88–89, 233, 246, 274
fall and hip fracture, 78, 135
Farewell Address (Jan. 1989), 33
favorite candy, 102
favorite horse, 142
favorite lunch of, 17
favorite newspaper, 235
films, 6, 61, 88, 315
first citizen in line for the viewing of, 173
first day as a private citizen, 16, 184
first television network to report the passing of, 42
four things that clarified his place in history, xxxi–xxxii
fraternity of, 248
funeral
arrangements and plan, 44, 56, 64–65, 73–75, 113–14
eulogy, 115, 116, 165, 168, 185, 285, 292, 293
flowers display at the, 235
military logistics required for the service, 242
music, 243, 251, 254, 257, 264
number of military personnel involved, 67
pallbearers (honorary), 65, 74, 109, 134, 135–36, 164, 275, 307
procession. 251–52
speakers, 252–56
strong police and military presence during the week of, 116
weather on day of, 178
where he was to lie in state, 114
gifts and flowers for, 56, 64, 102, 109, 116, 176, 279, 280–81
good on camera, 60
government types and political philosophies rejected by, 8
as governor of California, xiii, 13, 32, 47, 55, 57, 87, 89, 95, 145, 187, 317
gravesite and headstone, 299
harmonica playing of, 120
Hillary Clinton’s hatred for, 250
his children on his disciplinary style, 47
on his marriage to Nancy, 84
hometown of, 55, 265
honorary degree from Eureka College, 158
hosting of Disneyland opening (1955), 308
House and the Senate passed resolutions commending the life of, 291
induction into and speech at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum (OK), 141
jeeps, 142, 143, 151
knighting of (by Queen Elizabeth), 24
known to swear, 320
landslide of, xxii, 158, 184, 217
last call taken in the White House by, 14–15
last days and hours of, 40–43
last horse he ever rode, 52
last photo released of, 45
last Republican convention he ever addressed, 104
last successful president since Eisenhower and the most popular since JFK, 23
letters
of condolence following Reagan’s death, 279–82
first letter written after leaving office, 140
his last handwritten letter, 227
letter to the American people following his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, xiv, 50–51, 119
letter to the nation addressing his passing, 238–39
letter to a young boy asking for federal assistance to clean his room, 256
loathing of by dominant culture, xxvi–xxvii
locations of statues of, xx, 56, 111, 116, 152, 176, 204
longest life of any president, 71
love of children, 78
love of heights, 75
love of horses, 153, 181
love of joke-telling, 129
love between Nancy and, 29, 46–47, 53, 84
love of the ocean, 75
Medal of Freedom awarded to, 226
memorabilia, 304
motto, 68–69
musicians who were down on, 274
nicknames for (list), 43
origin of his nickname “the Gipper,” 6
origin of his nickname the “Great Communicator,” 193
origin of his nickname the “Great Persuader,” 191
“Rawhide,” 195, 270
number of mourners passing by the bier of, 112
official portrait, 226
official residence, 144
one ground rule for photos, 132
poor eyesight of, 22–23
popularity during his Hollywood acting career, xxvii
post-presidency activities, life, and travels, 24–25, 32–37
postpresidential office in Century City, appointments of, 23–24
ranch. See chapter 5
amount of presidential time spent at the, 144
building type and altitude, 141
description of the property and surrounding area, 143–44
favorite activities at the, 142
reading and writing at the, 146
Reagan’s dress at the, 140
ranking among U.S. presidents, xvi–xvi, 323
reaction to Alzheimer’s diagnosis, 50
Reagan’s best state in the country in 1984, 153
received more fan mail (he and Flynn) than anyone else on the WB studio lot, 315
recognition of family members during last years, 77
rejection of, for combat duty, 22–23
relationship between Bush and, 54–55
rocky relationships between his children and, 43–44, 77
social behavior (premarriage) and friends, 62
speeches
on college campuses, 158–59
“Evil Empire” speech, 187, 218, 322
his last official, 227
of note, 187, 218, 322
one of his finest (Houston Astrodome), 226
state of the economy upon leaving office, 8
“tear down this wall,” 187, 294, 303
television and radio work, 85–86
times when Alzheimer’s was apparent, 49, 125, 135, 194
towns he lived in as child and young man, 118
tributes to, 53–54, 88
two things editorialists got right about, 154
type of men sought by, 28–29
unsuccessful stint in Vegas, 63
viewers of inauguration of (number, as compared with Obama’s), xxiv
Wall Street Journal’s list of his accomplishments over eight years of presidency, xviii–xix
Wall Street’s honoring of, 195
was pro-life, 322
wedding year, 84
welcoming ceremony upon return to LA at end of presidency, 17
where he proposed to Nancy, 35
yearly visits to Mayo Clinic, 49, 301–2
years of marriage, 46, 268
Reagan Alumni Association, 187, 259, 326
Reagan cabinet, 19, 116, 187, 189, 259
“Reagan Country” (poster), 157
Reaganism and the Death of Representative Democracy (Williams), xix
“Reagan Legacy Project,” 117–18
Reagan: A Life in Letters (Skinner, Anderson, and Anderson), xxxi
Reaganomics, xix, 214, 260
Reagan Ranch Center (Santa Barbara), xxi, 143
Reagan Revolution, 10, 13, 49, 70, 90, 148, 187, 248
Reagans, The (CBS miniseries), 97
Reagan’s America (Wills), 202
Reagan’s Secret War (Anderson and Anderson), xxiii
Reagan Trail, 118
Ream, Vinnie, 184
Reed, Ralph, 48
Reeve, Christopher, 280
Regan, Ann, 280
Regan, Don, 161, 190, 194, 248, 260, 320
Rehnquist, William, 221–22
Reid, Harry, 93
rememberronaldreagan.com, 224
Rendezvous with Destiny (Craig), 309, 407
Republican Party National primaries of 1980, 49, 132, 161
Republican National Committee, xxii, 132, 164, 227
Republican National Convention, 9, 164, 226
Resolute desk, 14, 15, 16, 290
Revell, Dennis, 110
Reykjavik Summit, 132, 276
Rice, Condoleezza, 221
Richardson, Bill (engineer), xxvi
Rickles, Don, 279
Rigler, Eric, 283
Rivers, Joan, 175
Robb, Chuck, 247
Robb, Lynda Bird Johnson, 247
Robbins, Edith Luckett, 179
Roberts, Jim, 131, 187
Roberts, Karen, 16
Robertson, Pat, 48
Robinson, Peter, 218
Robinson, Ron, 146, 248
Rohrabacher, Dana, 218
Role of a Lifetime (Cannon), 173
Rollins, Ed, 83–84
Romney, Mitt, 281
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (aka the Reagan Building), 186, 259
Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History (Diggins), xviii
Ronald Reagan: Late a President of the United States. Memorial Tributes Delivered in Congress, 211
Ronald Reagan Memorial Foundation, 299
Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway, 177
Ronald Reagan Peace Garden (Eureka College), 56, 158
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, xiv, xv, 18, 20, 23, 31, 33, 56, 64, 66, 72, 73, 81, 82, 101, 109, 110, 111, 112, 116, 117, 122, 132, 157, 258, 289, 290–91, 313
Rooney, Mickey, 277
Roosevelt, Eleanor, 120, 178, 244, 278
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (also FDR), xvi, xvii, xviii, xix, xx, xxvii, xxxii, 7, 28, 53, 62, 64, 70, 73, 87, 91, 115, 117, 120, 125, 126, 156, 162, 164, 168, 177, 178, 209, 212, 217, 232, 255, 261, 262, 270, 309, 310, 321, 323
Roosevelt, Micky, 279
Roosevelt, Theodore (Teddy), 32, 80, 244, 270
Ropewalk Tavern (Baltimore), 404
Rosenker, Mark, 280
Rotunda (of the U.S. Capitol), xx, 56, 114, 115, 164, 166, 173, 174–75, 176, 183, 184, 185, 186, 198, 207, 210, 229, 239, 240, 242, 204
Rove, Karl, 5
Rowland, John, 115
Ruane, Michael A., 182
“Ruffles and Flourishes,” 183, 250–51, 268–69, 283
Ruge, Daniel, 233, 234
Ruling Class, The (Codevilla), xxvi
Rumsfeld, Donald, 22, 214, 215, 218, 281
Russert, Tim, 167
Russo, Paul and Kathy, 220
Ryan, Genevieve, 269
Ryan, Fred, 2, 16–17, 20, 31–36, 41, 44, 45–46, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 56, 65, 66, 73, 74, 101, 124, 125, 135, 137, 151, 161, 168, 169, 209, 218, 226, 241, 269, 272, 287, 290, 302, 312