The buffet luncheon was a lovely reunion of Reagan aides, friends, and family. Of course, Hollywood was well represented by stars such as Tom Selleck, John Stamos, Gary Sinise, Bo Derek, Wayne Newton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Anjelica Huston, and Mr. T (Laurence Tureaud), the latter of whom had been an active supporter of Mrs. Reagan’s antidrug abuse campaign. In 1983 he came to a White House Christmas party, at which he dressed as Santa Claus, and Mrs. Reagan sat on his lap and kissed his head. Many people at the luncheon had their picture taken with Mr. T, though none sat on his lap. I suspect Mrs. Reagan was looking down and laughing.
Erin and I were among the very last people to leave the Reagan Library that day. I think I was reluctant to let go.
I did not know it at the time, but I would have one more opportunity to bid the Reagans farewell.
September 2016
In accordance with their wishes, most of the household possessions from the Reagans’ home in Los Angeles were sold at auction, with proceeds benefiting the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.
Looking through the glossy catalog was fun at first and brought back many fond memories, but I found myself gradually slipping into sadness at the realization that the Reagans were really gone. Both of them. Forever. And yet, especially because of Erin, I was reminded of how the movie memories they shared managed to echo all the way to the present.
I recalled that President Reagan told us stories about working with Virginia Mayo and Eddie Bracken on the 1949 comedy The Girl from Jones Beach, and recalled how he and Eddie had to hoist Virginia on their shoulders for some of the publicity shots. Many years later, as a former president in Los Angeles, he invited Eddie and Virginia to visit him in his office, and the three reminisced for more than an hour about the movies they made together. No attempt was made to hoist Virginia. When I learned that Virginia and Eddie were scheduled to come in to see former President Reagan, I contacted a dealer in vintage movie memorabilia and bought an original poster from The Girl from Jones Beach, which all three stars were kind enough to autograph when they were together in the office. Ironically, several years after that, I began dating—and ultimately married—a native Long Islander who had spent many summers at Jones Beach. When she saw the signed and framed poster hanging in my apartment, she could hardly believe it. Talk about fate!
Before the auction, my own “girl from Jones Beach” and I attended a reception where the Reagans’ possessions were displayed for would-be buyers, most of whom had never been in their home but were happy to eat sushi and drink sparkling wine as they looked over the lots. The staff from the famed Christie’s auction house had essentially re-created 668 Saint Cloud Road in Bel Air, California, in Rockefeller Center, New York. It was eerie. The couches, paintings, books, china cabinets, and other objects were arranged just as they had been at the Reagans’ home.
Everything was there, exactly as I remembered it.
Only Nancy and Ronald Reagan were missing.
I almost wish I had not gone. The finality of their deaths was profound. But I did notice one thing as I wandered through the gallery made to look like their den. I could finally see the top of the coffee table. The stacks of videocassettes of Ronald Reagan’s movies, which had been piled atop the table as recently as my visit to their home just months before, were not there. Nor were they listed in the catalog. I hope they found a good home.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
When Ronald Reagan was writing his postpresidency memoirs, An American Life, he would sometimes refer to doing so as having “a monkey on my back.” I did not understand what he meant—until I set out to write this book. And while I never viewed this book as being a monkey on my back, I eventually came to share some of his feelings about such an undertaking. That said, the truth is I enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane and committing to paper what I had experienced.
That’s because I had the support and assistance of the greatest personal and professional team ever.
First and foremost, I am grateful to my family, starting with my father, Herbert C. Weinberg, a World War II veteran, and my dear late mother, Judith L. Weinberg. Always loving, supportive, and exemplary, they hoped I would tell “my story.” Backing up a bit, my parents were not especially enthusiastic when, as a high school student, I told them I wanted to pursue a career in politics. Law, medicine, or real estate were what they had in mind for their firstborn. But they accepted it and never pressured me to abandon my goal. And they were quite happy that I knew exactly where I wanted to go to college (the George Washington University), rather than put them through the agonizing and expensive prospect of touring every college in the country. Whatever misgivings they may have had about my being in politics melted away the minute they met the Reagans. They loved Nancy and Ronald Reagan and the fact that I worked for them. I wish my mom had lived to see this project completed. She and my late stepfather-in-law, Jim Garvey (the definition of a swell guy), are probably badgering everyone in Heaven to buy a copy!
It was my wife, Erin, who urged me to write a book about my experiences with the Reagans, an urging I resisted for a long time. She insisted I had an interesting story to tell and owed it to the Reagans and to history to do so. As usual, Erin was right. She is truly the light of my life and was unfailingly supportive and encouraging throughout every minute of writing this, painstakingly reading every word many times. There is no way I could—or would—have done it without her. Our daughter, Grace, and our son, Jake, were equally excited, supportive, and encouraging. Grace, a high school student, wanted to know if she could get extra credit in her social studies class if I came in to share my experiences. (No.) And knowing that I am now often an uncredited ghostwriter for corporate clients, Jake, an elementary school student, asked if, finally, my own name would be on the cover of the book. He was beyond thrilled to know it would be. Throughout this process, while excited about my being an author, my sister, Mary Ellen Feinstein; my brother, Michael, and his partner, Eddie October; my mother-in-law, Gwen Garvey; my father-in-law, Bob Davy, and his wife, Anita; my aunts Sally Isenstadt and Susan Lipton; my brother-in-law Robert Davy and his wife, Genevieve; my sister-in-law Lauren Davy; my brother-in-law Sean Davy and his fiancée, Kate Dewan; and Erin’s and my nephews and nieces: Zack and Jessie Feinstein, Ryan and Jackson Davy, and Annie and Rocco October-Weinberg, wondered about only one thing: whether I was done yet.
I am. (For now.)
Now, on to the others. Before doing so, however, I want to confess that I am desperately afraid of having left out someone. Which reminds me of when President Reagan wrote his first postpresidency book, Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches, in 1989. He did not include me in the acknowledgments, nor should he have. After all, the book was just a compilation of speeches, with which I had nothing to do. But Ronald Reagan felt bad about the exclusion, and one day shortly after the book was published, he walked into my office and said, “Mark, I want to tell you how sorry I am I did not mention you in the book. It’s like having a party and forgetting to invite your best friend.” I told him I appreciated his kind words, but that I was not bothered in the least (I was acknowledged in his autobiography, An American Life).
That said, I apologize if I left anyone out. But if I did, I hope they will remember the sign that Ronald Reagan had on his desk that read “There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he does not mind who gets the credit.”
The men and women of the Office of the Press Secretary to the president were/are valued colleagues and trusted friends during my eight years in the White House and to this day. Led by Jim Brady, Larry Speakes, and Marlin Fitzwater, they all served their country with dedication and distinction. I have fond memories of our work together. Many—including Marlin, David Prosperi, Flo Grace, Sandy Sidey, Kim Hoggard, Denny Brisley, Jeannie Winnick Brennan, Mary Kayne Heinze, Dale Petroskey, Leslye Arsht, Rusty Brashear, Pete Roussel, Anson Franklin, B. Jay Cooper, Ben Jarratt, Bill Harlow, and especially the incomparable Connie Gerrard—the latter of whom served in the
White House during eight administrations and was rightfully regarded as indispensable—were helpful in providing memories and advice, for which I am grateful. Veteran White House press advance man and Congressional Press Secretary Hugh O’Neill, who was my first boss in politics when I joined the fledgling Connally presidential campaign in 1979, showed me the ropes of working with reporters, and was a sounding board throughout this process.
In addition to my colleagues in the Press Office, I worked with many other White House aides, a few of whom came to Camp David on weekends, too. David Fischer, the president’s personal aide in the first term, Jim Kuhn, his personal aide in the second term, (the late) Shirley Moore, Mike Deaver’s executive assistant, and several White House physicians were also regular members of the Aspen Movie Club.
Sheila Tate, Mrs. Reagan’s press secretary, a PR powerhouse who has a wonderful sense of humor and kept me laughing throughout and after our years together in the White House, and White House Chief of Staff Ken Duberstein, whose extraordinary savvy about how Washington works kept the Reagan ship of state sailing smoothly, kindly shared memories.
A special assistant to the president, Morgan Mason, Hollywood “royalty” himself, who may have had the greatest insight into the Reagans’ relationship with the movie business, also generously shared his memories and thoughts.
Stu Spencer, the undisputed best political strategist of modern times, honored me by sharing memories of watching movies with the Reagans, as did Amanda Deaver.
So, too, did some of the officers who served as military aide to the president of the United States during the years Ronald Reagan was in the White House. He respected them all. Specifically, from the US Army: Jose Muratti, Casey Brower, Bob Ivany, Ron Thomas, and Jim Reynolds; from the US Marine Corps: John Kline, Pete Metzger, Pete Peterson, and Duane Hegna; from the US Navy: Bill Schmidt, Woody Sutton, Pat Dunne, and J.J. Quinn; from the US Air Force: Bill Drennan, Tom Carter, Steve Chealander, and Gary Dylewski; and from the US Coast Guard: Vivien Crea, and Woody Lee. I spent many weekends at Camp David with them watching movies with the Reagans.
Same for the US Navy officers who served as commander(s) of Camp David during the Reagan years: Ralph Cugowski, Bill Waters, Jim Rispoli, Jim Broaddus, Mike Berry, and Terry Dake, a pilot of Marine One.
No one from the Reagan White House Military Office was more helpful than Joni Stevens, the office manager, who knew everything and everyone, and was always unflappable.
Senior agents of the US Secret Service also watched movies with the Reagans at Camp David and several shared some fun stories, including Doug Cunningham, Bob DeProspero, Denny Finch, Dick Griffin, Steve Harrison, Garrick Newman, Joe Petro, Ray Shaddick, Gary Wiestrand, and (the late) Gary Yauger.
And so did Tessa Taylor, the legendary leading man Robert Taylor’s lovely and articulate daughter, who practically grew up with the Reagans. She was so close as to call them Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Nancy.
After eight years in the White House, I had mixed feelings about moving to Los Angeles. I liked it when we visited there during the White House years (who wouldn’t like staying for free in the Century Plaza Hotel?) and was thrilled to still be with the Reagans. But living and working there was an entirely different case, and I was not sure if it was for me.
Long story (not so) short, my time as director of public affairs in the Office of Ronald Reagan was not only special and cherished but also among the most happy years of my life. Our chief of staff, Frederick J. Ryan Jr., who had served in the White House as assistant to the president, and is now publisher and chief executive officer of the Washington Post, made what turned out to be a highly successful effort to create a feeling of unity and camaraderie among the staff. I did not know Fred super-well during our years together in the White House, but when I worked with him in former president Reagan’s office, I quickly came to realize he has one of the sharpest minds as well as the best instincts and manners of anyone I have ever met. Fred remains a valued and trusted friend and is that rare person in Washington about whom no one has an unkind word. No one. (He and I do not have that in common.)
My other colleagues on the staff in former president Reagan’s office, especially Joanne Drake, who is the most steadfastly loyal Reagan aide ever; Cathy Busch, who succeeded me as President Reagan’s spokesperson and is the embodiment of class and good judgment; the savvy Sandy Warfield; the always real Sheri Lietzow; the hardworking Jon Hall; the competent and good-natured Paula Franklin; the sage and down-to-earth (late) Dottie Dellinger; the devoted and discreet Kathy Osborne; the witty and urbane Robert Higdon; the impressively smart and poised Michael Busch; the earnest and gracious Peggy Grande; Lisa Cavelier, Mrs. Reagan’s worldly and wise top aide; and the indefatigable correspondence team of Janine Chase (Mathias), Kerry Geoghan (Perlow), Keri Douglas, and Bernadette Schurz, among others, helped create a family feeling among the staff. It was like when Ronald Reagan worked at Warner Bros.
The staff at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, especially director Duke Blackwood; archivist Jennifer Mandel; AV archivists Steve Branch and Michael Pinckney; executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute John Heubusch; chief administrative officer Joanne Drake; and chief marketing officer Melissa Giller were of great assistance.
I am grateful to the extraordinarily talented and professional team at Javelin DC. Without them, this book would not be. My agent, Matt Latimer, a founding partner of Javelin DC and himself a New York Times bestselling author; his partner Keith Urbahn; Dylan Colligan, Javelin’s editorial director and a gifted writer; and media relations director Vanessa Santos, took my vague and disjointed “proposal” for a book and turned it into something that actually made sense and appealed to publishers and (hopefully) readers. They provided invaluable guidance, advice, reassurance, and support. It was my friend and mentor, Peter Barnes, former White House correspondent for Fox Business, CNBC, and Hearst Television, who suggested I contact Javelin DC with my idea for a book, so, he, too, deserves much of the credit.
The unequaled professionals at Simon & Schuster were nothing short of amazing. At the top of the list is executive editor Ben Loehnen. There are no words to adequately describe how smart he is and how much his “suggestions” made this a significantly better book than what I submitted originally. Assistant editor Amar Deol, who made this book a reality, was unfailingly patient and attentive. Special thanks, too, to production manager Brigid Black, copyediting manager Jessica Chin, associate director of design Ruth Lee-Mui, senior publicity manager Erin Reback, associate director of marketing Dana Trocker, deputy general counsel Emily Remes and attorney Lisa Rivlin, and copy editor Philip Bashe.
I am indebted to the Reagan family. The Reagans’ son, Ron, Mrs. Reagan’s brother, Dr. Richard Davis, and Dennis Revell, who was married to Maureen Reagan, all shared recollections.
I would not have written this book without Mrs. Reagan’s permission. Not only did she give me the “green light,” she encouraged me to do so. She kindly granted me a lengthy interview at their home in Los Angeles, during which she shared stories and insights about her husband, our weekends at Camp David, the movies we watched, and her and her husband’s experiences in Hollywood.
Finally, I want to thank the Gipper. The first draft of this book submitted to my brilliant editor, Ben Loehnen, was returned to me with his meticulous handwritten notes and a gentle admonishment to guard against hagiography. I had to consult a dictionary for the definition of hagiography. Ben was right. My first draft made Ronald Reagan seem like a saint. He wasn’t, of course. (As far as I know—now.) That said, Ronald Reagan was a uniquely decent, kind, gentle, principled, exemplary, and wise man. I respected him, I learned from him, and I miss him.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
© PETER WALLBURG STUDIOS
MARK WEINBERG is a former spokesman, advisor, and speechwriter to President Ronald Reagan. He currently works as a communications consultant in the private sector. He and his wife live in the greater New York
City area with their two children.
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Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Mark-Weinberg
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ENDNOTES
2. OH, GOD! BOOK II
I. Ronald Reagan, “Excerpts from an Interview with Walter Cronkite of CBS News, March 3, 1981,” American Presidency Project, www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=43497.
II. Ronald Reagan with Hubler, Where’s the Rest of Me?, 74.
III. Roger Ebert, review of Oh, God! Book II, January 1, 1980, RogerEbert.com, www.rogerebert.com/reviews/oh-god-book-ii-1980.
IV. Jere Hester and Don Gentile, “George Burns Is Dead at 100,” New York Daily News, March 10, 1996, www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/george-burns-legendary-entertainer-dead-100-1996-article-1.719988.
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