Free Republic

When we open our newspapers on Father’s Day, we expect to find something nice about dads—often heroic dads. Yet, for every boy or girl whose father was a doctor or Marine who stormed the beaches of Normandy, there is a dad who was more complicated; not a great dad but one still loved and had an impact, sometimes in unorthodox ways. This describes a father I’ve studied: Jack Reagan, father of the late president, Ronald Reagan.

A Dad Like Jack: The Influence of Ronald Reagan's Father June 18, 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- by Dr. Paul Kengor -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When we open our newspapers on Father’s Day, we expect to find an article on dads. These are often tributes to heroic dads. Yet, for every boy or girl whose father was a fireman, a doctor, or Marine who stormed the beaches of Normandy, there is a dad who was more complicated: not a great dad but one still loved and who had an impact, sometimes in unintentional ways. This describes a father I’ve studied: Jack Reagan, father of Ronald Reagan,...