Ronald Reagan’s Heart: Two Emotional, Historical Landmarks

By Mary Claire Kendall 

When former President Ronald Reagan visited his birthplace in Tampico, Ilinois on May 10, 1992, this tender-hearted, consummate gentleman, fast-fading with enveloping Alzheimers, wept as he laid eyes on the bed, where his mother Nelle had labored for many difficult hours, said curator Joan Johnson, finally giving birth to him on February 6, 1911.

His father Jack, Reagan later recounted, quipped right after his birth, “For such a little bit of a fat Dutchman, he makes a lot of noise doesn’t he?” But, his mother, though weak, glowed, “I think he’s perfectly wonderful.”  Both the name and the opinion stuck.

All of us who came to understand how “perfectly wonderful” Ronald Wilson “Dutch” Reagan was, have hearts overflowing with gratitude for this giant of American history.

Two months ago, I had the privilege of learning more about Ronald Reagan when I visited his birthplace.

I had planned to travel to Chicago for a Hemingway-focused trip, but after a key Hemingway mentor, Redd Griffin, died unexpectedly days before, my weekend suddenly became Reagan-focused, too.  You see, the day after his death, his friend, Chicago lawyer Wayne Whalen, who owns the Ronald Reagan Birthplace, offered to host me for a Christmas tour and luncheon in Tampico. He suggested I read Reagan’s Roots by Peter Hannaford and Dutch by Edmund Morris, the former which I dutifully, and thankfully, bought, the latter which I owned, having met Morris and his beautiful wife Sylvia at the NSO Symphony Ball in December 1999 after which he signed a copy of his book.

Once we arrived at the museum in Tampico, I was like a kid in a candy shop. Not only did I serve in the Reagan Administration but I love American history, particularly the featured era. The memorabilia of Reagan and his roots was captivating, to say nothing of how the birthplace home was restored to its original 1911 splendor, as the accompanying photos reveal.

Then, too, my connection to Reagan comes via my work in Hollywood and the former president’s best friend A.C. Lyles, whom I’ve been fortunate to call a friend since 2007.  A.C. and “Ronnie,” whom Wayne reminded me was once Hollywood’s highest paid star, were like brothers when they were two young stars at Paramount Pictures—A.C. behind the camera as head of publicity, Ronnie in front.  So, it was with great interest, that I visited his good friend’s birthplace.

But, there was another reason I was so interested. You see, Redd Griffin was the main champion of saving Reagan’s Chicago home where the family moved to when they left Tampico.

In Tampico, where the population was less than 1000, the Reagans lived in a spacious six-room rented second-floor apartment above a bakery from September 1906 to May 1911 while Jack worked across the street at Pitney General Store.  Shortly after Dutch’s birth, his father was promoted from merchandiser to manager at the store and the family moved around the corner to a large house, also rented, where they lived until December 15, 1914. 

When Mr. Pitney sold his store, Jack scrambled for employment and soon landed a job at Marshall Field’s Mayfair Annex near the University of Chicago.  Right after the first of the year the family moved to Chicago, population 2.2 million, where Jack and Nelle chose another flat with six rooms—an architectural feature unique to Illinois, and particularly Chicago, that gives an apartment the feel of a house.

As with Tampico’s “Main Street Historic District,” in 1982, the South Side neighborhood in which 832 E. 57^th Street resided was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in 1986. As Jack Spicer, Chair of the Hyde Park Historical Society’s Historic Preservation Committee, said, paraphrasing, “It is the finest remaining example of what was once a solid and working and middle-class black neighborhood.”(Chicago Sun-Times, February 6, 2011)

Also, like the birthplace, the Hyde Park home was the scene of memories that tapped a deep well of emotion for President Reagan, evidenced by his reaction upon Mayor Jane Byrne presenting a photo of the home to him in September 1981, six months after the assassination attempt.  His eyes became misty, showing a hint of tears, as he absorbed all the memories of his time living there—like when four-year-old Dutch and his brother Neil, nicknamed “Moon,” age six, would go to White City, an amusement park a mile from their home, where they would sell freshly made popcorn they were laden down with, to help supplement the family income, increasingly diminished because of their father Jack’s growing drinking habit in the big city, where he felt lost among a sea of merchandisers.

All this notwithstanding, this historical, emotional landmark now hangs in the balance as the City of Chicago decides whether or not to grant it landmark status and save it from being demolished. 

But, if Friends of President Reagan’s Chicago Home, Inc., founded in December, has anything to say about it, the Reagan home will not only be saved but will be transformed into a museum that elegantly showcases President Reagan’s historic presidency while beautifully complementing the university’s Center for Care and Discovery across the street, including state-of-the-art Alzheimers research.  And, this Chicago home, where, unbeknownst to all little Dutch was being prepared for greatness, will be added to “The Reagan Trail” of homes where the only president born and bred in Illinois grew up. 

900 words

1/26/13

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For those who would like to support the Ronald Reagan Birthplace financially please visit www.reaganstatue.org. For more information, contact Joan Johnson, Curator/Mgr, Birthplace of President Ronald Reagan at 815-622-8705 or via e-mail:  reaganbirthplace@thewisp.net or garyjoan@thewisp.net .  They are currently raising the last $30,000 to pay for the statue to be placed in Reagan Park (formerly Railroad Park), showing three-year old “Dutch” Reagan playing on a Civil War cannon.

For those who would like to learn more about the Friends of President Reagan’s Chicago Home, visit www.friendsofpresidentreaganschicagohome.blogspot.com .