SJ0087 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0087 LRB093 22552 RCE 52111 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois General Assembly were deeply saddened to learn of the death of President Ronald Reagan on June 5, 2004; and

WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois, the first American President born in Illinois; as a youth, he worked as a lifeguard at Lowell Park in Dixon, Illinois, and he graduated from Eureka College, located in Eureka, Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan was a man of humble beginnings, working as a radio announcer, entertainer, union leader, and corporate spokesman; and

WHEREAS, His marriage to actress Jayne Wyman gave him three children: Maureen, an adopted son Michael, and Christine, who was born four months premature and died the day after her birth; and

WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan later married Nancy Davis on March 4, 1952, his steadfast partner for the next 52 years, who served her country with distinction as First Lady, who would later make public appearances on behalf of her ailing husband, and who became the primary caregiver for the aging President; together, Ronald and Nancy had two children, Patti and Ronald; and

WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan was elected to two terms as Governor of California, bringing conservative politics to the forefront in California, taking office with a sizeable state budget deficit, reducing taxes, and leaving the Governor's Office eight years later with a modest financial surplus for California; and

WHEREAS, After two previous unsuccessful bids for the Republican nomination, on November 4, 1980, Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States of America; on January 20, 1981, at the age of 69, Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the country's 40th president, to quickly become known to the world as the "Great Communicator"; and

WHEREAS, President Reagan worked to restore the founding principles of this country by upholding individual responsibility and personal liberty; his actions and words sent a strong message, both domestically and globally, that the United States remained vigilant and that he, as President, would use the country's strengths to the advantage of the American people; and

WHEREAS, By rebuilding the U.S. military, the country regained a formidable position from which America could better fight the Cold War, standing against the Soviet Union, and ultimately, bringing down the Iron Curtain once and for all; his foreign policies further helped to bring about the collapse of the Berlin Wall without bloodshed or loss of life, offering the German people the support and fortitude of the American principle of freedom; and

WHEREAS, Many at the time were critical of "Reaganomics" and its overall effect on the country's economy; today many historians and economists believe that the principles and doctrines worked to restart the California economy and worked to revive a Nation and its financial structure; and

WHEREAS, The social reforms proposed by President Reagan were similarly criticized; when he first proposed that welfare recipients should be required to work, he was rebuked as being cruel and unjust, but today to do otherwise would jeopardize the welfare recipients' dignity; and

WHEREAS, After eight years in the Oval Office, in January 1989, President Reagan returned to his California ranch, and on November 4, 1991, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California was dedicated; and

WHEREAS, On November 5, 1994, President Reagan disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, continuing to show courage and fortitude by publicly facing the debilitating disease of age; and

WHEREAS, On October 11, 2001, President Reagan became the longest-lived president ever, besting the nation's second President, John Adams, who had lived 91 years; and

WHEREAS, On July 12, 2003, the United States Navy commissioned its newest aircraft carrier, the "USS Ronald Reagan", the first carrier to be named for a living president; and

WHEREAS, On June 5, 2004, the world was told its faithful servant, President Ronald Reagan, had passed away at his home in California; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we mourn the loss of President Ronald Reagan, while we honor and celebrate his dedication and service to the People of the United States of America and the world at large; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, to the Ronald Reagan Museum at Eureka College, and to the family of President Reagan.