[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 39 (Thursday, March 10, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   NANCY DAVIS REAGAN: TIRELESS ADVOCATE FOR DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION, 
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESEARCH AND FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 10, 2016

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Nancy Davis 
Reagan, the former First Lady of the United States, who died on March 
6, 2016 at her home in California at the age of 94.
  Born July 6, 1921, in New York, New York, Nancy Davis Reagan was the 
only child of Kenneth Robbins, a salesman, and Edith Luckett Robbins, 
an actress.
  In 1929, Edith Luckett Robbins married a prominent Chicago 
neurosurgeon, Loyal Davis, who adopted young Nancy in 1931.
  Nancy Davis studied drama at Smith College where she earned a 
baccalaureate degree in 1943.
  After college, Nancy Davis followed her dreams to pursue a career in 
acting.
  Her first role was a nonspeaking part in the touring company 
production of Ramshackle Inn.
  The play eventually made it to Broadway in New York City, where Nancy 
Davis landed a minor role in the 1946 musical Lute Song, starring Yul 
Brynner and Mary Martin.
  In 1949, Nancy Davis noticed that her name was listed on the 
Hollywood blacklist, which was established by the film industry to warn 
studios and producers of individuals suspected of being communist 
sympathizers.
  This case of mistaken identity resulted in Nancy Davis meeting the 
love of her life and husband, Ronald Reagan, who at that time was the 
president of the Screen Actors Guild.
  They were married on March 4, 1952, and within a few years daughter 
Patty and son Ronald were born, joining Maureen and Michael, Ronald 
Reagan's children by a prior marriage.
  Nancy Reagan became California's first lady in 1967, when her husband 
was elected to Governor of California.
  In 1980, Nancy Reagan became the First Lady of the United States when 
her husband was elected the 40th President of the United States.
  As First lady she championed the ``Just Say No'' campaign to help 
dissuade youth from using and abusing drugs.
  Nancy Reagan worked tirelessly to retrieve a number of White House 
antiques, which had been in storage, and placed them throughout the 
Executive Mansion.
  During the Reagan Administration, Nancy Reagan was known most 
importantly as the president's personal protector.
  After her husband's term was completed Nancy established the Nancy 
Reagan Foundation to support after-school drug prevention programs.
  Nancy Reagan and President Ronald Reagan retired to the ``Reagan 
Ranch'' in Santa Barbara where they devoted much of their time to the 
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
  After President Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 
1994, the couple founded the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research 
Institute, located in Chicago, Illinois.
  As Ronald Reagan's disease progressed, Nancy became the primary 
caregiver for her husband.
  After President Ronald Reagan's death in 2004, Nancy Reagan became a 
supporter of stem-cell research.
  Nancy Reagan was a true symbol of American elegance during her time 
as First Lady of the United States and a tireless advocate for those 
Americans who suffer from Alzheimer's Disease.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to take a moment of silence in 
remembrance of this extraordinary woman who transcended political 
lines.

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