RONALD REAGAN’S FINAL DAYS

A President to be Remembered

THE DIAGNOSIS

After surviving and assassination attempt, which made the

American public hail Reagan as a heroic figure, it was Alzheimer’s

that damped Reagan’s public career and life.

On November 5, 1994, Reagan wrote a letter to the American

public announcing that he has been afflicted with Alzheimer’s

disease in hopes of raising more awareness to the disease.

In the letter, he states that he regrets the toll that this disease will

take on his family, especially on Nancy who was previously

diagnosed with breast cancer.

THE LETTER

SHORT ANALYSIS OF HIS LETTER

Despite having been out of office for 5 years, Reagan’s

delivery of his letter still somehow seems like he is the sitting

president and is fulfilling his obligation to the American public.

Throughout his whole letter he constantly references Nancy,

it is almost as if its in a way of love letter to Nancy and to the

American people at the same time.

“I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from

this painful experience.” –Ronald Reagan

CONTROVERSIES

Although Reagan was officially diagnosed in 1994, there

are still some debate on whether or not Reagan had

Alzheimer's while in office.

As noted in a New York Times article, even before

Reagan was elected president, his mental state was in

question.

This was partially due to changes in his speaking

patterns and his forgetfulness.

FINAL DAYS

While Alzheimer’s was undoubtedly a factor in causing

Reagan’s death, it was pneumonia that coupled with the

already known Alzheimer’s disease that took Reagan’s life.

During his final days, both his daughter Patti, and his

wife Nancy were constantly by his bedside.

According to Patti’s account, during the last three days

Nancy cried and sobbed in the arms of her daughter.

FINAL MOMENTS“In his last moment, he taught

me that there is nothing stronger

than love between two people,

two souls...it was the last thing

he could do in this world to show

my mother how entwined their

souls are...and it was

everything.” –Patti Davis

Reagan died at age 93 in Los

Angeles, California.

HIS FUNERAL

Over 100,000 mourners passed by his coffin at the presidential library in

California.

He had a state funeral and a national (private) funeral.

All 3 children spoke at the funeral.

In comparison to his funeral, other funerals seemed less engaging. Gerald

Ford’s private funeral appeared to received less coverage than Reagan’s.

You could definitely feel the love the American people had for Reagan.

Margaret Thatcher even had prerecorded message on behalf of Reagan’s

passing. (The two remained great friends even after Reagan left office)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AueSguxwhJE

MARGARET THATCHER AT THE FUNERAL

STATE FUNERAL

REMEMBERING “THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR”

Many remember Reagan for his speech at the Berlin Wall

where he stated “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

He was credited with helping to win the Cold War and for

expanding the American economy.

Many politicians associate themselves with Reagan and

his limited government vision. He once stated, “In this

present crisis, government is not the solution to our

problem; government is the problem.”

CONTINUING TO REMEMBER REAGAN

In 2010, Reagan led the list of Republicans people

wish to see added to the faces on Mount Rushmore.

Ronald Reagan is often remembered for his way of

communicating with the American people and with

individuals abroad.

He is truly one of the most memorable Republican

Presidents of all time.

SOURCES

Reagan, Ronald. "Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, National Archives and Records Administration."

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, National Archives and Records Administration. University of Texas,

n.d. Web. 21 July 2015. <http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/reference/alzheimerletter.html>.

"Reagan's Final Moments." Msnbc.com. N.p., 09 June 2004. Web. 21 July 2015. http

://www.nbcnews.com/id/5164869/ns/msnbc-countdown_with_keith_olbermann/t/reagans-final-moments/#.

Va237MZViko.

Altman, Lawrence K. "Parsing Ronald Reagan’s Words for Early Signs of Alzheimer’s." The New York

Times. The New York Times, 30 Mar. 2015. Web. 21 July 2015.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/31/health/parsing-ronald-reagans-words-for-early-signs-of-

alzheimers.html>.

Chumly, Cheryl K. "Remembering Ronald Reagan: ‘The Great Communicator’ Died 10 Years Ago Today."

The Washington Times. N.p., 5 June 2014. Web. 22 July 2015. <http%3A%2F

%2Fwww.washingtontimes.com%2Fnews%2F2014%2Fjun%2F5%2Fremembering-ronald-reagan-great-

communicator-died-%2F>.