Word to LIve by & Reagan Forum

Words To Live By – National Medal of Arts

Most people don’t know that President Reagan initiated the program for the highest award for artists and art patrons by the United States government. I guess it’s no surprise since both the President and Mrs. Reagan, as actors, held a deep and abiding love for the Arts. To take the concept one step further, artistic expression flourishes in a free society and with that idea in mind, it’s even more logical that our 40^th president would be so strongly supportive. So, the President, along with the Presidents’ Committee on the Arts and Humanities recommended this recognition in 1984, called the National Medal of Arts, to be given to 12 deserving individuals. This is a separate award, not to be confused with the Kennedy Center Honors which originated in 1977.

Anyway, it’s really fun to hear the President and Mrs. Reagan participate in this ceremony – we’ll start with the first ceremony in 1985 – and celebrate again the achievements of these great individuals. President and Mrs. Reagan established a tradition of holding a luncheon for the recipients in the State Dining Room at the White House.

A Reagan Forum – George W. Bush

In this week’s “A Reagan Forum” we go back to March 1, 2017 when former United States President George W. Bush came to the Reagan Library to discuss his brand-new book, Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors. President Bush was so moved by the sacrifices of our wounded American warriors, that he began the challenge of capturing and immortalizing their courage on canvas. Through his paintings he was able to take their strength, their dignity, their perseverance and their patriotism, and lift it up for all of us to see on a much deeper and intimate level.

Words To Live By – Oh, OPEC, Really?

So early this spring – you probably heard – that both OPEC and Russia announced a massive oil supply cut, totaling 1.6 million barrels per day. This, of course, raises fears of a resurgence of inflation—and to no one’s surprise, oil prices jumped $7 a barrel on the news—as well as continued deterioration of the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency. If you’ve filled your car with gasoline lately, you’re still feeling the pain from these inflated gas prices and our government’s bad policies. So for today’s podcast, I found some radio addresses delivered in 1977 and 1979 – yes, by then Governor Reagan – with a perspective I think you’ll appreciate. If we are really serious about “words to live by,” it’s sad no one has paid enough attention to these commentaries. But, today we shall!

A Reagan Forum – Auschwitz Survivor Celina Karp Biniaz and Author William Friedricks

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back to our in-person event with Holocaust Survivor Celina Karp Biniaz and author William Friedricks for Bill’s book, Saved by Schindler: The Life of Celina Karp Biniaz. This event was part of the programing for our current exhibition, Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. Celina Karp was just eight years old when the Germans invaded her homeland of Poland in 1939. After spending time with her family in hiding, and then a ghetto, she and her family were sent to a slave labor/concentration camp. Celina even spent several terrifying weeks at Auschwitz where she faced down the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele before ultimately landing on Schindler's list.

Words To Live By – The Campaign for the Presidency

In light of the heated Republican presidential race, we’ll focus today on events taking place after Ronald Reagan announced his candidacy for President of the United States on November 13, 1979, in the ballroom of the New York Hilton. That was just the beginning. The path to the White House was not an easy one and well, shall we start in Iowa?

A Reagan Forum – Dr. Jill Biden

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back to May 24 and May 25, 2023 when the Reagan Institute held their annual Reagan Institute Summit on Education conference, otherwise known as RISE. RISE 2023 examined policy and practice from early childhood through postsecondary education and beyond. The imperative for education reform is even more salient as the United States emerges from the global pandemic and it is important to answer the call to modernize our education system and prepare for the challenges of the 22nd century. The two-day hybrid conference convened a number of thought leaders, current and former administration officials and members of congress, state leaders, students, and educators both in-person and virtually. The featured speaker on May 25 was First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden, who spoke on the Future of Education. During her address, Dr. Biden spoke about the Biden-Harris Administration’s work towards bridging the gap between learning and earning. She spoke about the Administration’s education pathway which starts with free universal preschool, transitioning to a high school experience that properly prepares students, finally moving onto 2-years of affordable community college, and available avenues to a 4-year degree.

Words To Live By – Entering the Presidential Race

While the 2024 election is still 15 months away, Republican candidates are entering the fray faster than Clayton Kershaw can throw strikes. Which begs the question: how did Reagan do it? What was his strategy? What was on his mind? In this podcast, we’ll listen to some of his strategic speeches related to his 1980 campaign. As you know, he was also a candidate in 1976 and marginally in 1968. But today, we’re going to focus on 1980 and well…do you remember why he ran?

A Reagan Forum – July 4th Statue Unveiling

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back to July 4th, 2023, when the Reagan Foundation and Institute unveiled a statue of Sally Ride – the first female American astronaut. Sally Ride’s first flight into space was on June 18, 2023, during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. As she is also a California native, we thought it fitting to include her statue at the Reagan Library.

Words To Live By – The Best of the President’s Baseball Stories

Well it’s baseball season, and as you know, our national pastime was a favorite of our 40^th President’s, though he never really played the game. Why you ask? Because of his eyesight. He always said the ball wasn’t big enough. So, Ronald Reagan spent more time on the track, in the pool, and on the gridiron, but baseball was still a great love of his and an important part of his life.

A Reagan Forum – Eva Schloss

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back to our virtual event with Eva Schloss which was held on June 12 – the birthday of Anne Frank. Eva is the stepsister of Anne. The virtual program covered the legacy of Anne Frank, as well as the promise Eva made to her brother, Heinz, and what she’s doing now to make good on that promise. Eva Schloss is an Austrian-English Holocaust survivor, memoirist and stepdaughter of Otto Frank, the father of Margot and diarist Anne Frank. Eva speaks widely of her family's experiences during the Holocaust and is a participant in the USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive project to record video answers to be used in educational tools.