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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Ronald Reagan Closer to Place of Honor in US Capitol


From
The Reagan Foundation


Since 1864, each American state has been authorized to send two statues of heroic people from their state to be honored in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol Building in Washington, DC.

In 2006, the California Legislature decided to honor Ronald Reagan with one of their two statues. The Reagan Foundation recently announced artist Chas Fagan has been selected to create the statue of President Reagan.

Fagan was selected from among numerous artists who submitted designs and models for the Reagan statue.

“I think Chas Fagan has done a wonderful job of capturing my husband,” said former First Lady Nancy Reagan. “I am honored that this statue will reside in our Capitol for years to come.”

President Reagan’s statue will replace that of Thomas Starr King, a Unitarian minister from San Francisco whose speeches were credited with keeping California in the Union during the Civil War. An occupant of Statuary Hall since 1931, the Starr statue will be moved to a place of honor at the California state capitol in Sacramento.

California’s other statue honors Father Junipero Serra, who established missionary outposts throughout California in the 1700s. When Ronald Reagan was sworn in for his first term as governor of California in 1967, he took the oath of office on a Bible brought to California by Father Serra.



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