In Memoriam
1911 — 2004

A Tribute to President Ronald Wilson Reagan

"On Monday, June the 7th, Mrs. Nancy Reagan put her cheek on the flag-draped casket of President Reagan. That expression of love for him was the visual representation of how this nation caresses his memory. Through her, we all put our cheeks on the flag that covered him. And that expression of love goes well beyond this nation to every person in the world who cherishes liberty, millions of whom owe their liberty to Ronald Reagan. Through a unique gentleness, optimism, and firmness of principle, he radically changed the world for the better. He is destined for immortality since his qualities of goodness that brought about such immense achievements are bound to give inspiration to world leaders who are yet unborn."

— Bruce Herschensohn, CFIF Board of Directors

President Reagan: In His Own Words

A Lifetime of Freedom

"In closing let me thank you, the American people, for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve as your President. When the Lord calls me home, whenever that may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future."...[more]

Shooting From the Hip: Quips From "The Gipper"

"How do you tell a Communist? It’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin."...[more]

The Great Communicator: Famous Speeches of Our 40th President

A Time for Choosing, a.k.a. ‘The Speech’

On October 27, 1964, then-Governor Reagan gave a nationally-televised address on behalf of Republican Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. The speech is a blueprint for conservativism and represents President Reagan’s first appearance on the national scene.

"This is the issue of this election: Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves."...[more]

We Will Be a City Upon a Hill

On January 24, 1974, then-Governor Reagan addressed the first annual Conservative Political Action Conference.

"You can call it mysticism if you want to, but I have always believed that there was some divine plan that placed this great continent between two oceans to be sought out by those who were possessed of an abiding love of freedom and a special kind of courage."...[more]

The Evil Empire

On June 8, 1982, President Reagan articulated his clear vision of the Cold War in an address to the British House of Commons.

"Well, this is precisely our mission today: to preserve freedom as well as peace. It may not be easy to see; but I believe we live now at a turning point."...[more]

At the U.S.-French Ceremony at Omaha Beach
on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day

On June 6, 1984, President Reagan spoke at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, to commemorate the 40^th Anniversary of the D-Day landings.

"We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free."...[more]

In Response to the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

On January 28, 1986, hours after the Space Shuttle Challenger accident, President Reagan addressed the nation from the Oval Office.

"The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.’" ...[more]

Farewell From Office

On January 11, 1989, as he closed his final term in office, President Reagan bid farewell to the nation in his final address from the Oval Office.

"And how stands the city [on a hill] on this winter night? More prosperous, more secure, and happier than it was 8 years ago. But more than that: After 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she’s still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home."...[more]

Tribute images courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation,
all rights reserved.