The Making of a Presidential Centennial
By Stewart D. McLaurin, Executive Director, The Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration
Planning for and celebrating the Centennial of the 40th President of the United States – Ronald Reagan – has been many months in the making and involved a complex vision, plan, and collaboration well beyond our home base of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation in Simi Valley, California.
February 6, 2011 marked what would have been the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan. Ten times since 1950, the Congress of the United States has urged a special emphasis on a significant birthday of a former president or first lady (centennial, bicentennial, sesquicentennial). In 2009, Congress passed, and President Obama signed into law, the creation of a bi-partisan commission to encourage the national celebration of President Reagan’s Centennial. As President Reagan would have wanted, not a single federal dollar was appropriated for the execution of these activities. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation has raised private funds, secured collaborative partnerships, and conceptualized plans for a national and international celebration with a balance of celebratory events and substantive initiatives.
This “Centennial Celebration” kicked off on January 1st with a Ronald Reagan-themed float in the Tournament of Roses Parade, the first time in the 122-year history of this great American tradition that the parade has had a presidential-themed float. On the weekend of the President’s birthday, a blend of military ceremony and patriotic celebration took place over three days at the Reagan Library. Throughout the year, there will be a series of academic partnerships with the University of Southern California, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Virginia, and the U.S. Naval Academy, each focusing on a different component of the President’s life, leadership, and legacy. These events and many more will take place not only across the country, but around the world throughout 2011.
Perhaps the most important focus of the Centennial year’s activities is reaching the next generation of young Americans and future leaders, all of whom are of college age and younger and have no personal recollection of Ronald Reagan as the president. One goal of the celebration planning has been to reach this next generation and invite and engage them to be part of the Centennial in order to better understand President Reagan, not only in historical context, but his relevance and significance in our world and in their lives still today.
Many of these initiatives were only possible thanks to key partnerships. We were honored that General Electric chose to become part of the Centennial Celebration as the presenting sponsor, and other collaborations were established with universities and American corporations, such as Edison International, Jelly Belly Candy Company, Visa, and others. In addition, governments and groups around the world have independently chosen to celebrate the President’s legacy, with significant events taking place in the United Kingdom, Poland, Germany, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, among others. Proclamations and commemorative letters have been received from governors and mayors across the country, as well as international recognition from world leaders such as Prince Albert of Monaco and the former Prime Minister of Japan, Yasuhiro Nakasone.
Ronald Reagan began his career in sports broadcasting. Outreach has resulted in several sports-related partnerships, including with NASCAR, where President Reagan will be honored at three races, including the Fontana race here in Southern California on March 27; Major League Baseball, where several teams will honor the President during the early weeks of the 2011 baseball season; the PGA Tour, where special emphasis took place at the LA Open on February 17-20; and the NFL, where just prior to Super Bowl XLV in Dallas on February 6, a tribute to President Reagan was shown on the massive screen in Cowboys Stadium.
February 5 and 6 was quite a birthday party weekend at the Reagan Library, with a “Concert for America” featuring several musical acts and poignant tributes, and a military ceremony culminated by a fly-over of F-18s off the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan, and the presentation of a 6’ x 4’ x 6’ birthday cake, created by the pastry chef of the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village and a culinary specialist, a sailor from the USS Ronald Reagan.
Following the birthday weekend of February 5 and 6, the public was invited for the unveiling of an extraordinary renovation to the Library and Museum in Simi Valley. Made possible through the generosity of the Reynolds Foundation, the 20-year-old museum has been completely refurbished, with exhibits that are interactive, engaging, and informative, thanks to 20 years of post-presidency perspective on the achievements of President Reagan and their subsequent impact domestically and internationally.
Planning a Centennial such as this takes on the form, feel, and intensity of a national political campaign, with millions of dollars to be raised, scores of events to be organized, deadlines to be met, and strong, widespread interest for participation. Leadership to plan and execute this year of events is a privilege as we honor a man whose life and legacy stands on its own and whose lasting lessons of leadership can still provide a road map for the next generation. It is a purposeful tribute to a man who began with humble Midwestern roots, began his career in sports broadcasting, found success in the entertainment industry, became the national spokesperson for GE Theater, ran for Governor of California and served two successful terms, then became President of the United States – and one of the greatest Americans in history.
This issue of CSQ Magazine contains perspectives of just a few of the Reagan Centennial partners. Many more than those reflected on these pages have made this celebration possible. The Centennial Web site (www.reagancentennial.com) gives in-depth information on the Centennial, all of our partners, and the events and initiatives that will take place around the globe over the
coming months.
The Reagan Library and Museum is the most visited of the 12 presidential libraries in the United States. The National Archives maintains and curates the archival elements of the Museum through extraordinary exhibits. And the Reagan Foundation hosts programs year-round to educate young and old about American government, the Presidency, and President Reagan.
As America honors our 40th President of the United States
on the Centennial of his birth and throughout 2011, we invite everyone to visit the Reagan Library and enjoy this incredible museum experience.
