Thursday, February 03, 2005

Ronnie

I had a friend, once, a long time ago...He hosted Death Valley Days, he filled my days with stories about social issues, and high taxes, and big government. His name was Ronald Reagan. I was a Republican activist then, and that's how I met him.

I was an officer in the Orange County Young Republicans, back then, so many years ago. I wasn't just an advocate of Ronnie back then, I was a disciple...

I stayed silent all these years, after all who would believe me, a modest living retiree, with mixed financial success. I was friends with his oldest daughter, Maureen Reagan Sills, and of her husband then, David Sills. Now a respected appellate judge in California.

I grieve his passing, as of his daughter's passing way too young, from cancer. I never met Nancy. It was always, she was home, and he was available to anyone that wanted him in the cause of conservatism. I am going to as the days pass, include quotes from him, graciously provided by my former Brother-in-law, who kept these things sacred...

The Reagan sense of humor...

"Here's my strategy on the cold war: We win, they lose".

Good day...

1 comment:

Bill McCrory said...

Herb,

I'm tempted to say that having seen you at the S-R blog-o-rama, you must have been in Orange County when there were still orange trees and Mrs. Knott was still making jelly and selling it by the roadside. But I won't say that.

If you were there from 1979 to 1989, we probably crossed paths at some event where President Reagan was present.

As for Maureen, she made great chili. Shortly after President Reagan was elected, three of us went to her place in LA to do a security assessment. She forced us to have some of her chili...but she didn't have to try too hard.