Ronald Reagan Peace Garden at Eureka College
Posted on 06/06/2004 3:14:21 PM PDT by Land_of_Lincoln_John
PEORIA - Former President Ronald Reagan's death Saturday means the passing of a highly influential president and a gifted communicator, U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood said Saturday.
And those who knew him more intimately, surviving fellow classmates at Eureka College, said they'll remember Reagan as a charismatic, highly involved classmate with strong ties to his school - and one determined to make $5,000 a year.
Reagan, the nation's 40th president who served from 1981 to 1989, died Saturday afternoon at 93 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. Reagan lived longer than any U.S. president and was the only president born and raised in Illinois.
LaHood, R-Peoria, said that while he didn't know Reagan personally, he'll remember him as a well-loved leader. Reagan's popularity rating when he left office in 1989 was the highest of any retiring president, according to the Associated Press.
"When you look back on the history of the presidents, there have been very few who have been able to win a second term," LaHood said Saturday night. "That shows his ability to connect with people."
LaHood said Reagan had even been a role model for him. He would love to possess the former president's knack for connecting with people, he said.
"A lot of people in politics would like to emulate his ability to communicate," he said. "He'd look into the camera and give people the impression he was talking directly to them."
LaHood worked as chief of staff and in other roles for former U.S. Rep. Bob Michel, R-Peoria, from 1983 to 1994, during the majority of Reagan's tenure. He said he didn't have any interaction with the president during that time, but Michel, a friend of Reagan's, told him many stories.
"I know he was a great joke teller," LaHood said. "He was able to put people at ease prior to going into a really important or significant meeting." Michel was out of the country Saturday and unavailable for comment on Reagan's death.
LaHood said he believes Reagan's most significant political achievement was hastening the fall of the Soviet Union and Eastern European communism. The Soviet empire collapsed less than three years after he left office, and many believe he was integral in its demise.
"His foreign policy is probably what most historians are going to talk about, his ability to rally the world that led to the downfall of communism," LaHood said.
Several of Reagan's former Eureka College classmates said Reagan's likability and charisma weren't limited to his presidency: Those traits went all the way back to his college days.
"He was friendly with everybody," said Marjorie Shobe, 93, who graduated with Reagan in 1932. "He was not snobby at all. He was an all-around good guy."
Raymond Corpe, 91, a 1934 graduate and Reagan's fraternity brother in school, laughed over a favorite memory of his friend. Reagan came into the fraternity house one day and promised his Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity brothers that he would be famous.
"I remember him telling us, 'I want you to keep your eyes on me because in a few years, I'll be making $5,000 a year,' " he said, chuckling. "That was a lot of money then."
Other alumni fondly remember his heavy involvement at the school, even after his graduation. Reagan was active in football, swimming, theater and student government and, as an alumnus, he returned to Eureka a dozen times and served on the college's board of trustees for a total of 18 years.
"He loved school," said 1934 graduate Aline Schrock, 91. "He loved Eureka College and wasn't afraid to say so. He never showed any shame in graduating from a small school."
Eureka College President Paul Lister said the school is indebted to Reagan for the contributions he made to it.
"He came back, and he helped us with so many things," Lister said. "He didn't just walk away and go on with his life."
Lister said the school will hold a memorial service, but the time and date haven't been set yet. In the meantime, the community has already started placing flowers at the campus' Reagan Peace Garden.
The handful of alumni contacted, all in their 90s, said while Reagan's death saddens them, it was time for him to go. They said both he and his family deserved relief from their pain.
"I feel sadness and gladness that it's over," Schrock said. "I'm old, too. I know there comes a time when you're ready, and he's been ready for so long."
Ronald Reagan Peace Garden at Eureka College
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