The Reagan Library Visit June 2022
Great places to allow your mind to expand
The Amazing Visit Begins!
The drive was 90 minutes but on Sunday morning the traffic was very lite. The weather was pleasant and we got their just in time to meet everyone at the entrance.
The grounds were immaculate.
The main driveway was not open to normal traffic.
We were greeted at the door by President Reagan.
Why two levels of fountain? In the old day, the horses drank from the bottom and the humans from the top!
The gaggle is ready to enter!
He looked presidential!
We went to a hologram presentation of President Reagan speaking to us. It was very life-like.
Did you know? - You make a hologram by reflecting a laser beam off the object you want to capture.
In fact, you split the laser beam into two separate halves by shining it through a half-mirror (a piece of glass coated with a thin layer of silver so half the laser light is reflected and half passes through—sometimes called a semi-silvered mirror). One half of the beam bounces off a mirror, hits the object, and reflects onto the photographic plate inside which the hologram will be created. This is called the object beam. The other half of the beam bounces off another mirror and hits the same photographic plate. This is called the reference beam. A hologram forms where the two beams meet up in the plate.
The photograph does not do the image justice, it was real!
President Reagan had the long hair! They called him Dutch!
Her acceptance speech follows!
Beware, your garage may smell funny after a couple of weeks!
Did You Know? The story goes that President Reagan wanted the Oval Office to be an identical replica of the real office. as the construction of the library proceeded it was determined that the area to be used for the oval office would require the oval office to be 4 foot shorter than it really is. President Reagan ordered that they dig a hole 4 feet deep so the office ceiling height could be exactly 18 1/2 feet. This president always had a way of solving problems simply!
President ALWAYS wore a suit to the office and kept it on all day!
Plain and simple!
We are ready to take over!
We walked the promenade to get to Air Force One
This is a 66% size recreation of the Rose Garden
The White House Rose Garden is a garden bordering the Oval Office and the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., United States. The garden is approximately 125 feet long and 60 feet wide (38 meters by 18 meters, or about 684m²). It balances the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden on the east side of the White House Complex. It is commonly used as a stage for receptions and media events due to its proximity to the White House.
No small feat to move the airplane up the hilll and into the hangar (which was not clompleted so the plane could get inside)
President Reagan flew twenty-times more than any other president doing the diplomacy needed for the good of the country.
An amazing feat of engineering to move it from the East Coast to Simi Valley!
Vanna presents "Air Force One"
Mary would be flying this thing!
It has an amazing view from the cockpit!
Tail number 27000
Did You Know? Tail number 27000 entered the service of the United States in December 1972 and first served President Richard Nixon and then President Ford. It flew former President Carter and former President— Vice President Mondale to Germany to greet 52 Americans who had been held hostage in Iran. My father flew it frequently, but the President who used it the most was Ronald Reagan. It was from this plane that President Reagan disembarked in Berlin in 1987 and demanded, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."
The fleet followed in MATS Aircraft from the US Air Force
Our docent told great stories of how President Reagan treated the Secret Service personnel. Much different than the Clintons/Obummers.
Hawaii, Please!!
View from the main entrance.
The camera was blinded by the light but to us humans, we saw the mountains of Simi Valley ahead and the Pacific Ocean.
The communications center could handle anything from crypto to regular phone calls!
The original system had teletype machine believe it or not!
Originally Top-Secret KG (Key Generation) boxes. The "black" means unclassified side of the box. The back side is "red" meaning encrypted and very classified.
Voice traffic had to pass through this box to get digitized.
One on one meetings!
No bed, a couch provided the ability to grab a quick nap!
The Conference Room held seven people.
Notice the Jelly Bellies??
Did You Know? Marinus van Dam, product developer and plant manager for the company, oversaw the development of Jelly Belly jelly beans. By the 1980s, many flavors had been developed. In 1980, Klein sold the Jelly Belly trademark. "David Klein sold the Jelly Belly trademark to Rowland for $4.8 million, paid in monthly installments over 20 years, which Klein split with a partner." The Jelly Belly trademark was registered August 3, 1982. The Mr. Jelly Belly character was developed in 1983. Prior to the development of the character David Klein called himself "Mr. Jelly Belly."
After Ronald Reagan became President in 1981, the general public became aware of his preference for Jelly Belly jelly beans. The company supplied Reagan with Jelly Belly jelly beans during his eight years of presidency. Chairman Rowland recalls, "We were thrilled by press reports that President Reagan gave jars of Jelly Belly jelly beans to visiting dignitaries."
(Reagan, however, "started to favor M&M's as the official White House candy during his eighth and final year in office.") Reagan made them the first jelly beans in space, sending them on the Space Shuttle Challenger during the STS-7 mission in 1983, surprising the astronauts.
In 2001 the company renamed itself to Jelly Belly Candy Company.
The football was always nearby!
The press area was outfitted with an IBM Selectric typewriter.
A magnificent airplane! A fitting home for this amazing bird!
Previous Air Force One's on display!
Many of the old AF1's are in Ohio at the USAF Air Museum.
Marine One was the limo for the president.
Where too my dear???
The engine was very small!
We have been walking for quite a while, time to sit and relax!
The Berlin Wall fell thanks in part to President Reagan
Interesting fact: the graffiti was only on the western side of the wall because on the east side, people were shot if they got near it!
Gallery of BAD ACTORS!
More criminals!
Gorbachev and Reagan became friends!
The SALT Agreement was struck thanks to these two people
Negotiate from STRENGTH!
The kids had a good time!
They rode along with Ronnie!
"Stop it! I am sleeping!"
The Reagan Library has assembled an international collection of artifacts from museums and private collections telling these compelling stories of technological advances, creative problem-solving, and incredible human persistence against the backdrop of the world's largest and most destructive war in history.
Many of the facts behind these amazing stories of World War II have not been made public until recently. And the hunt for more facts behind these stories continues by historians and researchers today.
Other rare artifacts include: the Norden bombsight, the infamous German Enigma coding/de-coding machine, stories from Bletchley Park and the Navajo Code Talkers, an electrically heated bomber flight suit, and even rarely seen bomb fragments from the Japanese attack on Southern California.
What a short movie first!
Look out, here we come! The Sherman Tank!
M-m-m-m-m-m Should I or shouldn't I?
I go with you ONLY IF I CAN DRIVE!
Someone is having a great time!
Did You Know? The Sherman tank was the most commonly used American tank in World War II. More than 50,000 Shermans were produced between 1942 and 1945. They were used in all combat theaters—not only by the United States, but also by Great Britain, the Free French, China, and even the Soviet Union.
Mary visits the heroes of WWII Comics were still a way of life.
Produced by the Nazi's, this aircraft was inexpensive and easy to put together by untrained people.
We are heading out after a fantastic visit.
Bye-bye until next time
His Farewll Address was amazing.
The Official Portrait