Words to Live By

Arts and Humanities

In 1981, during his first few months as President, Ronald Reagan was working towards his goal of limiting government spending and cutting budgets where needed.  But on May 6, 1981, he established a Presidential Task Force on the Arts and Humanities, saying, “I am naming this Task Force because of my deep concern for the arts and humanities in America. Our cultural institutions are an essential national resource; they must be kept strong. While I believe firmly that the Federal Government must reduce its spending, I am nevertheless sympathetic to the very real needs of our cultural organizations and hope the Task Force will deliver to my desk by Labor Day a plan to make better use of existing Federal resources and to increase the support for the arts and humanities by the private sector.”On October 14, 1981, President and Mrs. Reagan held a White House Luncheon for members of the task force. Following the luncheon, he gave remarks. Let’s listen:

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Day, is observed as Israel’s day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust as a result of the actions carried out by Nazi Germany and its collaborators.  Known as Yom HaShoah in Israel, the national memorial day is held on the Jewish Calendar’s 27th day of Nisan, which falls in April or May on our calendar.  In 2021, the memorial fell on sundown of April 7 through sundown of April 8. During his remarks, President Reagan said, “The tragedy that ended 36 years ago was still raw in our memories, because it took place, as we've been told, in our lifetime. We share the wounds of the survivors. We recall the pain only because we must never permit it to come again.” On April 20, 1982, President Reagan delivered remarks for the 2nd annual commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the holocaust. Let’s listen.
 

Words to Live By - Brezhnev

As we continue to commemorate the 40th anniversary year of Ronald Reagan becoming our nation’s president, we come to April 24, 2021, which marks the 40th anniversary of Ronald Reagan sending a letter to Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev to try to begin a discussion and negotiation on the Soviet Union’s arms buildup. In March of 1983, President Reagan addressed the nation on defense and national security to discuss America’s defenses and the increases in America’s military build-up. During the speech, he spoke about Secretary Brezhnev. Let’s listen.

St Patrick’s Day

In this week’s Words to Live By, we honor St. Patrick’s Day, the cultural and religious celebration held each year on March 17th, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland.  The holiday has evolved over the years into a celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, drinking…and a whole lot of green! Ronald Reagan’s ancestral homeland was Ballyporeen, Ireland, and he was extremely proud of his Irish roots.  In June of 1984, during a diplomatic mission to Ireland, President and Mrs. Reagan visited Ballyporeen, where he discovered a local pub named in his honor!

James Brady

The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the executive branch of the federal government of the United, States, especially with regard to the president, senior aides and executives, as well as government policies. The press secretary is responsible for collecting information about actions and events within the president's administration and issues the administration's reactions to developments around the world. The press secretary interacts with the media and the White House press corps on a daily basis. President Reagan selected James Brady for his first White House Press Secretary. Just 40 when Ronald Reagan gave him the White House job, he had already served as a spokesman for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Office of Management and Budget and the Pentagon, and for the failed presidential campaign of Texas Republican John Connally.Exactly two months into the job, on March 21, 1981, President Reagan joined in the fun during a roast in honor of Press Secretary Brady.

Canada

While in office, President Reagan visited 26 foreign countries, and countless U.S. cities, traveling over 660,000 miles in Air Force One – more than any other president at that time. His first visit outside of the United States?  To Canada, in March of 1981.  We learn more about this trip in this week’s Words To Live By Podcast. 

Margaret Thatcher

A White House state dinner honors a visiting head of government or reigning monarch and is one of the grandest and most glamorous of White House affairs. It is part of an official state visit and provides the president and first lady the opportunity to honor the visiting head of state and his or her spouse. It is a courtesy—an expression of goodwill—a way of extending hospitality. It brings to mind the tradition of breaking bread with friends to seal a friendship. It is an event that also showcases global power and influence. The traditional toasts exchanged by the two leaders at the dinner offer an important and appropriate platform for the continuation of the serious dialogue that has taken place earlier in the day. Let’s now listen to the Toasts of President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher at the first State Dinner, on February 26, 1981.

Valentine’s Day

Let’s listen to Ronald and Nancy Reagan themselves talk about their love story.

Greatest Debate and Inaugural Address Moments

Since the 1981 inauguration of Ronald Reagan, the ceremony has been held at the west front of the United States Capitol facing the National Mall, with its iconic Washington Monument and distant Lincoln Memorial. But prior to being elected president, candidates must go through the debate process. Let’s start this podcast with our “Ronald Reagan Greatest Debate Moments” collection.

Inaugurations and Transitions

In November of 1979, militants in Iran seized 66 American citizens at the US embassy in Tehran and held 52 of them hostage for more than a year.  Negotiations to get the citizens returned safely to America were hard, as the US administration struggled to find anyone to negotiate within a meaningful fashion. On January 27, 1981, just six days after the inauguration, President Reagan welcomed all of the freed American hostages at the White House and greeted each of them individually.  Let’s listen to his remarks from that day.