Ronald Reagan Statue to be Unveiled in London's Grosvenor Square

A statue of Ronald Reagan is to be unveiled in London's Grosvenor Square, as part of a year of celebrations to mark the 100th birthday of the former US president.

From The Telegraph

By Harriet Alexander

The 10 foot bronze will be positioned on a pedestal close to the American Embassy, and stand alongside existing statues of two other 20th Century US leaders, Dwight Eisenhower and Franklin D Roosevelt. The Embassy is moving to a new location next year, but the statues will remain in Mayfair.

With the unveiling scheduled for July 4, US Independence Day, the Ronald Reagan Foundation has invited Margaret Thatcher and David Cameron to attend the ceremony.

Condoleezza Rice, the former US secretary of state who worked for the Pentagon during Mr Reagan's presidency, will represent Nancy Reagan, 89, who will be following proceedings from her Californian home.

"President Reagan always referred to the United States' special relationship with Great Britain, especially his personal friendship with Baroness Thatcher," said Rob Bauer, director of external affairs for the Ronald Reagan Foundation.
 

"The Reagan Foundation commissioned the statue to honour that partnership and to celebrate an enduring alliance."

Mr Reagan, who was US president between 1981 and 1989, died in 2004 at the age of 93.

The statue is to be created by Chas Fagan, the American sculptor who created a likeness of Mr Reagan for the Capitol Rotunda in the US Congress.

The Foundation, which is funding the work, hopes that the statue will have as much impact as the 2009 US version.

Mrs Reagan cried as the image was revealed. She said: "This statue is a wonderful likeness of Ronnie. He would be so proud." 

 

 

President Ronald Reagan Birthday Concert and Centenary Ceremonies

Sunlit Uplands was very pleased to offer live, streaming video last weekend of events at the Reagan Library marking the 100th birthday of that great president.  For those who may have missed the "Concert for America: A Tribute to Ronald Reagan" and the ceremonies on Sunday marking the President's birthday, we highly recommend them and are pleased to provide both below.

The Concert for America includes The Beach Boys, Lonestar, Lee Greenwood, Fred Thompson, Jerry West, and video tributes from Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

Ceremonies marking the President's 100th birthday on February 6, included remarks by Mrs. Ronald Reagan, Mr. Gary Sinise and Secretary James Baker. The program also included a wreath laying, flyover and 21-gun salute.

Enjoy full screen viewing by clicking the arrows at the lower right corner of each video.

Live, Streaming Coverage of Reagan Centenary Events

Watch live streaming video from reaganlibrary at livestream.com

We are pleased to provide live, streaming coverage of Reagan Centenary events from the Reagan Library.  Bookmark this page and check back here for the following events:

February 5, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. PST  (10 p.m. EST)

A Concert for America – A Tribute to Ronald Reagan

For more information, click here

February 6, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. PST  (1 p.m. EST)

Ronald Reagan Centennial Birthday Celebration

For more information, click here

February 10, 2011 at 8:30 a.m. PST  (11:30 a.m EST)

Ronald Reagan Centennial Postage Stamp Issued

The Leadership of President Ronald Reagan: Lessons and Legacy

Peggy Noonan: Ronald Reagan at 100

Being a good man helped him become a great one.

From The Wall Street Journal
By Peggy Noonan

At the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, in the foothills of the Santa Susana Mountain Range where old Hollywood directors shot Westerns, they will mark Sunday’s centenary of Reagan’s birth with events and speeches geared toward Monday’s opening of a rethought and renovated museum aimed at making his presidency more accessible to scholars and vividly available to the public. Fifty percent of the artifacts, officials note, have never been shown before—essays and short stories Reagan wrote in high school and college, the suit he wore the day he was shot, the condolence book signed by world leaders at his funeral. (Margaret Thatcher: “Well done, Thou good and faithful servant.”)

Much recently has been written about who he was—a good man who became a great president—but recent conversations about Reagan have me pondering some things he was not.

He wasn’t, for instance, sentimental, though he’s often thought of that way. His nature was marked by a characterological sweetness, and his impulse was to be kind and generous. (His daughter Patti Davis captured this last week in a beautifully remembered essay for Time.) But he wasn’t sentimental about people and events, or about history. Underlying all was a deep and natural skepticism. That, in a way, is why he was conservative. “If men were angels.” They are not, so we must limit the governmental power they might wield. But his skepticism didn’t leave him down. It left him laughing at the human condition, and at himself. Jim Baker, his first and great chief of staff, and his friend, remembered the other day the atmosphere of merriness around Reagan, the constant flow of humor.

Reagan Super Bowl Tribute

To be shown in Cowboys Stadium just before kickoff

NFIB Remembers President Ronald Reagan and His Support of Free Enterprise

In the above video, the National Federation of Independent Business remembers when America had a President who worked to unshackle the dynamism of American free enterprise.  President Reagan joined in celebrating NFIB's 40th anniversary on June 22, 1983.

The South Carolina GOP's Commemoration of President Reagan's 100th Birthday