Frater Celebrates Reagan Centennial as Official TKE Representative
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. - Ronald Reagan admirers wanted to go all out to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the former president’s birth on Feb. 6 - a fighter jet flyover, a 21-gun salute and a Beach Boys performance are among the commemorations. Over the last six months, Frater Richie Gregory (Iota, Eurkeka College) has been TKE’s Official Representation for planning this momentous occasion. All his work, along with the other committee members and staff, culminates in CNN’s special coverage of the Reagan Centennial Celebration live from The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET.
The official celebration will be a remembrance of the 40thpresident of the United States and will include remarks by Mrs. Nancy Reagan, salutes by the U.S. military, musical performances and speeches. Notable attendees will include former Secretary of State James Baker, former Vice President Dick Cheney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and cabinet members of the Reagan administration.
Frater Richie said it has been a humbling experience. “Frater Reagan is such a prominent Teke and to be helping plan a way to honor is life, it’s hard to explain. All of us on the Centennial Youth Committee have participated in newspaper interviews, Podcasts with Sam Adams Alliance, a Panel Discussion with Sam Adams Alliance, numerous radio interviews, and officially participating in the Reagan Centennial at the Presidential Library. In life and death, Frater Reagan kept TKE included at every turn. Each member should follow his example.”
The Great Communicator’s centennial birthday conflicts with another great American mega-event: Super Bowl Sunday. But, this isn’t a problem. Just before kickoff, a tribute to Reagan will be displayed on the massive Jumbotron at Cowboys Stadium in Texas, perhaps fitting for this larger-than-life persona.
It’s one of the scores of centennial events planned through the year for Reagan - from his birthplace in Tampico, Ill. to his final resting place in Simi Valley, Calif. Although many of the events are being organized by or with help of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, activities large and small are being planned by others, including GOP clubs, former Reagan aides and admirers of the only former California governor to be elected president.
In Valparaiso, Ind., Chuck Williams, a Board of Public Works member and former county GOP chairman, was so fond of the former president that he named his daughter Reagan. Now, he’s seeking to name a street in town after him.
Congress created a bipartisan Reagan Centennial Commission to help plan events, but no federal funding was provided. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., didn’t believe such spending would be very Reagan-like. Instead, many celebrations are privately funded.
Events range from film showings, essay contests and lectures about Reagan to dinners and musical tributes. The Reagan foundation plans a concert at the Reagan library featuring, among others, the Beach Boys, who were banned from the capital’s 1983 Fourth of July celebration by Interior Secretary James G. Watt, angering Nancy Reagan. Watt said the group attracted the “wrong element” but changed his tune after the president and Nancy Reagan made it clear that they liked the Beach Boys.
The Chicago Cubs are planning Reagan Day at Wrigley Field, in which his son, Michael, will throw out a ceremonial first pitch. In the 1930s Reagan re-created Cubs radio broadcasts from descriptions provided by Western Union.
Though Reagan died in 2004, his legacy endures in a big way. Adding to the plethora of monuments to Reagan, statues of the former president will be hoisted in London and at the Washington airport named after the former president. How will you commemorate Frater Reagan’s legacy?
Adapted from an Associated Press report. Be sure to follow the latest TKE News with the RSS Feed, on Twitter or the official TKE Facebook Fan Page (Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity). Submit your news today.
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