Time Is Now to Make Toast to the Gipper

The Paris accident which took Princess Diana raises anew the question of why we wait for tragedy to celebrate those who give much to the nation and the world.

Which brings to mind Ronald Reagan--for if anyone deserves a eulogy in his lifetime, it’s the Great Communicator.

Full disclosure is in order. From the 1980 presidential campaign through eight years of the presidency and beyond, I collaborated with Mr. Reagan on dozens of speeches. Whether in the Oval Office, on the campaign trail, or at Camp David--the Reagan magic made me a devoted follower.

No day ends without Republicans and conservatives yearning for the revolution that bears the former president’s name. Millions were drawn to his unswerving devotion to freedom, unflagging hatred of tyranny, belief in the individual, and principled antagonism to an overbearing state. He held out the “shining city on the hill” as a global beacon of hope and opportunity.

While history will reward the achievements of Ronald Reagan’s remarkable public service, let us hope it does not overlook the legacy of extraordinary personal traits which distinguish him as a remarkable human being. These were summed up by a sign on his Oval Office desk: “There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.”

Modesty and humility marked his speeches, where he eschewed the word “I” in favor of “we.” He repeatedly stated his belief that he did not hold the office of the presidency but merely had “custody” of the people’s office. His awe was reflected by the fact that he never removed his suit jacket while he worked there.

There is in Ronald Reagan an utter lack of pretension--born of modest roots in America’s heartland. The stories he told in private were never about his own achievements but about the greatness of others. And great people to him were not celebrities or world leaders, but average folks whose lives and exploits rose to heroism.

And it was from those roots that he maintained a wonderful impish quality of youth--a surpassing charm that warmed all those around him. He once confessed to still feeling like “little Dutch Reagan racing my brother down the hill to the swimming hole under the railroad bridge to the Rock River.”

Another time, as he and I awaited others for a meeting, he began folding White House stationery into paper airplanes that he floated out the balcony of his hotel’s penthouse suite. As each little “Air Force One” drifted below, he would let out a hearty laugh at its trajectory and destination.

He displayed throughout those public years a shameless patriotism--a love of America that was as tender as it was strong. On the eve of his first inauguration, he and Mrs. Reagan attended a nighttime ceremony in front of the Lincoln Memorial, complete with fireworks and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. As he later recounted it to me: “I don’t think I’ve been to anything quite like it. That Lincoln Memorial and those columns . . . it’s such a beautiful place. That choir singing ‘God Bless America’ -- well, it was cold, but it was so moving, I was crying frozen tears.” And then, as he spoke, his eyes filled up again.

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There might not be a specific Norman Rockwell painting of Ronald Reagan, but he certainly embodied the qualities of Americana that Rockwell reflected in hundreds of his portraits.

For eight years he made our nation whole. He lifted us up, captured our spirit and renewed it. Beginning Jan. 20, 1981, we got back our national pride.

But now, time is crowding in on Dutch Reagan. The tragedy of illness is robbing Americans of that smile which could light up Yankee Stadium. It’s taking away the velvet voice, the jaunty walk, and the cocked head which preceded the familiar beginning of a sentence: “Well. . .”

Unlike Diana, this giant still walks among us. So don’t wait, pick up a pen and jot him a note. Send it to Office of President Ronald Reagan, 2121 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067.

He won’t want your sympathy. Tell him, instead, that you’re willing to go out and win just one more for the Gipper.