[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 9 (Thursday, February 7, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E109]]



             RECOGNIZING THE 91ST BIRTHDAY OF RONALD REAGAN

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 6, 2002

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, today marks the 91st birthday of our 
fortieth President of the United States, Ronald Reagan.
  Born in Tampico, Illinois, Ronald Reagan, a 1932 graduate of Eureka 
College, appeared in a total of 53 movies, his best roles being in 
Brother Rat (1938), Dark Victory (1939), and Kings Row (1941), and 
served as President of the Screen Actor's Guild.
  During World War II, he made training films for the Air Force and 
served as a spokesman for the General Electric Company from 1952 to 
1962, hosting and occasionally acting on the television series, General 
Electric Theater. From 1962 to 1965 he served as the host of the 
television series Death Valley Days.
  Shifting from his Democratic Party affiliation, Reagan moved into 
Republican politics and emerged during the 1964 presidential election 
as a Goldwater Conservative. In 1966, he was elected governor of 
California, serving two terms from 1967 to 1975, successfully carrying 
out a generally conservative agenda. Although he failed in bids for the 
Republican presidential nomination in 1968 and 1976, in 1980, Reagan 
easily beat Jimmy Carter in the election with promises of reducing 
taxes and government regulation while building up the military. Four 
years later, he defeated Walter Mondale by a landslide, confirming the 
success of his first term in office.
  In 1981, Reagan was shot and wounded in an assassination attempt by a 
mentally disturbed man, John Hinckley Jr. While in office from 1981 to 
1989, Reagan fulfilled his political and economic promises, including 
the signing of a Social Security reform bill that aimed at a long-term 
strengthening of the system. In foreign affairs, he was dedicated to 
freedom and democracy and adamently opposed to the U.S.S.R. and 
communism everywhere. His commitment to a bringing an end to the ``evil 
empire'' significantly contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union 
in 1991.
  In recent years, the publication of new material--including the love 
letters written by the President to his wife, and the radio addresses 
which he delivered from 1977 until 1980--have led to a long overdue 
reassessment of our 40th President by historians and by the general 
public. Ronald Reagan's vision and leadership helped bring about a 
better nation and a better world, and it is long overdue that he 
received appropriate credit for his contributions.
  Americans across the nation have long held President Reagan in high 
regard, and he became known for his skill at inspiring his audience. He 
was eloquent and effectively expressed his philosophies to all people. 
He united our nation after what many considered the most turbulent time 
in history, and in times of tragedy, such as the Challenger explosion, 
his words of sympathy and consolation eased the grief of our nation.
  President Reagan's skills as ``the great communicator'' may have 
obscured the fact that he was a genuine visionary. When President 
Reagan took office, America and the Soviet Union held the world under a 
sword of Damocles, with the threat of nuclear war never far from our 
minds. President Reagan fully grasped the most valuable of all lessons 
of history--the lesson that negotiations are futile if we do not go to 
the bargaining table from a position of strength.
  Though President Reagan faced challenges at home from many who 
disagreed with this belief, he never wavered. The fruit of his efforts, 
the 1988 Arms Control Treaty, heralded our final victory in the Cold 
War, and ushered in the era of ``Pax Americana.''
  Today, President Reagan faces the most serious fight of his life as 
he battles against Alzheimer's disease. May his family receive some 
solace and strength from the knowledge that his friends and admirers, 
including those of us in this chamber, always keep in our thoughts and 
prayers, the ``Gipper''.
  His birthday today is a reminder to all of us of just how precious 
life is, and an appropriate time to commemorate the genuine 
contributions of this great American hero.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to associate my name with these legislative 
initiatives which honor one of the great Americans of the 20th century, 
our 40th President, Ronald Reagan.

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