Our Inspiring Visit to the Reagan Library

Reagan Library ^ | 10 July 2009 | Vigilanteman

[Vigilanteman]

Last week, my wife and I concluded a trip to California with a visit to the Reagan Library, a place I had always wanted to visit.

It wasn't exactly easy or convenient. We were staying in the Palm Springs area at the conclusion of a family wedding (her side, our nephew) and it was our first visit to California since the last family wedding five years ago.

Our itinieary for the day consisted of dropping our daughter off at the John Wayne airport for a noon flight back to her college in Idaho, a quick lunch and an afternoon at the library before driving back to her family home. It was a lot of distance, but it was mostly off the rush hour grid, so we figured no problem.

Well, our daughter got to John Wayne airport with just an hour to spend before her flight rather than the two hours or so we had planned on, despite my wife's protests, I told her if traffic was that bad on the way to the airport, it would be worse on the 405, so snack on the food in the car and forget lunch until we got closer.

The 405 (which we had scoped out in advance to be the less clogged alternative to I-5) was crawling from the Orange County line to the hills just north of LA. To make matters worse, the carpool lanes had been eliminated in the most congested areas where they were needed most.

All this while, my wife is nagging me about wanting to eat, wanting to potty, wanting to do anything except get to the library bfore the afternoon is shot. I'm telling her to eat the chips and crackers in the car and hold her bladder or use an empty water bottle, because I'm in the left lane and can't get off the 405 even if I wanted to.

Finally, we get off the 405 and on to the 118 Ronald Reagan Freeway into Simi Valley. My delight and getting into traffic which is finally flowing normally again is cancelled by her insistence that she really needs to go and really needs to eat and my counter that we are almost there.

So we arrive there well after 1 p.m. rather than the noon and nice meal in the cafe there we had planned on.

So we're both steamed-- me because of her nagging and her because of my insistence to maintain our prior agreed schedule as near as possible rather than accomodate her physical needs for lunch and bladder relief.

I buy two tickets, give her $10 to go find something to eat and tell her the library visit means more to me than my stomach so come and find me when she's ready.

40 minutes later or so, she does as I'm taking my time taking in the audio, visual and memories of the greatest president in my lifetime.

Ironically, we reunite at the exhibit of the restaurtant booth where Ron courted Nancy and wrote her letters. The stories of how they supported each other makes us forget our quarrel on the way up. We really enjoy, together, the rest of the visit.

Most of the staff, I notice, are unpaid volunteers of a slightly older vintage than myself. They are truly delighted to add detail, hear your memories of the Reagan years and share theirs. This is just before a holiday weekend, so the library is really crowded, but the other visitors are polite, patiently wait their turn as you move on and savor the exhibits, short films and memories.

What's also remarkable is the crowd looks like California-- a lot of Asians, Hispanics, older and younger people alike all coming to do the same thing we were.

I also learn more than a few snippets of information about Reagan which I didn't know before, although I think I've read every book he wrote or collaborated on. Some of the more interesting tidbits:

• The Reagan family not only opposed the then-prevalent practice of excluding black athelets from the local hotels during his high school and college years, they did something about it by hosting them in their home.
  
• Reagan didn't stumble into being a filmmaker for the armed services during World War II, he actually wanted to fly and joined the Army Air National Guard in the late 1930's, when rumors of war first begin to swirl about. He was disappointed when his poor eyesight disqualified him from flying and only agreed to make the films rather than volunteering for another combat unit when his Hollywood friend Jimmy Stewart convinced him that was how he could best serve his country.

  By the time we finished the Air Force One exhibit, my wife and I are as close as we were in 1984, the year we were married. She can tell that I'm really, really hungry and urges me to at least buy a snack before we go on.

  By this time, I decided to buy her the photograph of us they took at the entry door of Air Force One, much to her delight and, when they tell us it will take five minutes to develop, I take her advice to buy a yogurt to refuel.

  Just as we are finishing the final exhibits, the 5 p.m. closing announcement comes, and we slowly head out to the gardens to view our president's final resting place and the hills overlooking Simi Valley. The silence is interupted by a little boy who looks like he is of Indian backrgound who asks "Why don't we have great presidents like this anymore?"

  The father clutches his hand, sadly silent, and the only thing I can offer is an obsevation that we had a really bad president before Reagan was elected and maybe that was God's way of preparing the American people to accept the leader which he sent at that time. Maybe it would happen again.

  The little boy looked up at his Dad, who nodded and said to us "You may be right. I hope it will happen again."

  With that, we turned to make our way slowly to the parking lot and yield our place to the next group of visitors.

[Publius]

From 1993 to 1997, I lived in an apartment complex across Madera Road from the entrance to the library. It was a beautiful place from which to watch the sunsets. By the fragment of the Berlin Wall, you can see across Ventura County almost to the ocean.

I went back in 2005 for the Air Force One exhibit and stopped by Reagan's grave site.

This is a trip I recommend.

[scan59]

Good read. Thank you for posting it.