President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) He was a gentleman as well as a gentle man. He possessed the essence of what is best in humankind, doubtless what is best in America. Cheerful, loyal, decent, the 40th president of the US, Ronald Reagan died peacefully 5 June at age 93 with his family by his side. The last thing he took with him from this world was the vision of his devoted wife Nancy. What he left behind was a lifetime's treasure of cherished memories, and a rich legacy of optimism, patriotism and heroism. As his "fellow Americans" mourn his death, the rest of the world remembers the quintessential American Cowboy who dedicated his life to serving his people, fighting communism, and spreading cheer and joy wherever he went. He was an inspiration to generations of devotees and adversaries alike, winning every battle, every cause, every election. He was the epitome of a winner. The people felt good with Ronald Reagan at the helm. They saw in him the embodiment of the American dream. As James Watts, his Secretary of Interior put it: "He was a gift from God to America." He was a man of strong passions, unbending spirit, with a sunny disposition and the courage of a lion, endowed with the hope of the free and the heart of the brave. Acting was his profession but politics was his life. Bright, funny, witty -- words were his trade as they are for every actor, every politician. In his case they came from the heart. The liberal press totally underestimated the strong bond the American people had with their "Sun King". Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois to John and Nellie Reagan in 1911. After years of moving from town to town seeking employment, his father, a shoe salesman settled in Dixon, the place RR considered his hometown. Ronald and his older brother Jack joined Northside High School, where he displayed his ability in sports, drama and politics. By age 14 he was helping out his family by working as a part-time construction labourer and a summer lifeguard. At Eureka College, Ronald supported himself with a small football scholarship and by working as a dishwasher. He majored in economics and sociology; was the varsity guard on the football team, captain of the swimming team and acted in many of the college plays. He also became president of the Student Body. After graduation in 1932, he moved to Davenport, Iowa and worked as a sports announcer for a local radio station. The next year he was transferred to Des Moines where he broadcast the Chicago Cubs baseball games, and wrote a weekly sports column, until 1937. While travelling with the team to Los Angeles, Reagan met with a Hollywood agent who was delighted with his youth, charm and good looks: "I have another Robert Taylor sitting in my office," the agent cried on the telephone to a Warner's Studio executive. In his usual modesty, a virtue which never left him, Reagan exclaimed "God made only one Robert Taylor." Reagan not only got a screen test, but a seven-year contract with Warner Studios. On a bright June morning in 1937 Ronald Reagan drove his small convertible through the gates of Warner's and into the pages of history. It was not the most illustrious acting career, but for the next three decades he held his own and worked steadily as a successful actor in Hollywood. A football player and a lifelong fan, it was only natural that he be drawn to football legends. The life story of Knute Rockne, a legendary Norwegian coach at Notre Dame College who died in a plane crash in 1931, after revolutionising the game of football, fascinated him. To re-enact the heroic tale on the big screen became the young actor's obsession. He dreamed of playing the role of George Gipp, a young man who casually wandered into Rockne's practice field one day and became Notre Dame's greatest star, only to die two weeks after his final game. He won the part and became "the Gipper" for the rest of his life. During the film's master scene as Gipp lay dying, he tells his coach: "Some day when things are tough and the breaks are going against the boys, ask them to go out there and win one for the Gipper". It became the catch phrase that defined him throughout his political career. But Reagan reserved his fire for his politics where acting became a greater asset for him than it was on the screen. His rhetoric was simple, his sincerity penetrated the heart. He became known as "the Great Communicator". He was what he was and what he was, was the best. It was said: "Let Reagan be Reagan", and as he munched on his favourite jelly beans, he could be nothing less. Acting gave him the timing, the power to turn a phrase, win a smile, or provoke a tear. As president of the Screen Actors Guild for six consecutive terms, he became embroiled in disputes over the issue of Communism in the film industry. Communism scared him. It was the enemy, "the evil empire", which he lived to fight and to conquer. Few would disagree that he was instrumental in achieving its demise. Fewer still would forget his passionate plea in Berlin as he demanded from the USSR freedom for all Berliners: "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" The wall came tumbling down soon after. The iron curtain rusted away. Though a staunch liberal Democrat who idolised FD Roosevelt, RR found himself growing away from his party's views. By 1962 he was ready to change parties and made a stirring speech on behalf of Barry Goldwater, Republican candidate for the presidency. Though Goldwater lost, Reagan won admiration and support from Republicans. In 1966 he ran for governor of California, defeating the incumbent by one million votes. He cut taxes, produced a surplus and signed the most stringent air and water pollution bills in the country. After two terms as governor he was poised to run for president of the US. On 15 April 1980 in the elevator of the Madison Hotel in Washington DC, my husband and I found ourselves alone in the presence of Ronald Reagan, candidate for the presidency against incumbent Jimmy Carter. My husband, usually more brash and bold than I, stretched out his hand and shook Reagan's and said something complimentary. Reagan, who like Will Rogers never met a human he did not like, proceeded to chat away cheerfully. A few months later he became president and my husband never let me forget it, especially this week as world leaders mourn the passing of the 40th president of the US and one of the most important in the last century. To Margaret Thatcher, he was her friend, her ally and her soul-mate: "He was the most important man in my life after my husband." Michail Gorbachev mourned "his lost older brother", and credits his major contribution to ending the Cold War. He came as a warmonger and left as a peacemaker. This cool, cheerful, football player, turned radio broadcaster, turned actor, turned governor, turned president, turned international statesman, was finally laid to rest as the beloved grandfather of the United States in the 20th century. His eloquence, his humour, and the glory days of his presidency are not his greatest legacy; his love for his second wife of 52 years, Nancy is. To her, he reserved the best part of himself. Expressing his love every day, every moment, in words and in deeds, became his sacred mission. Showering her with affectionate tenderness and ardent passion was his greatest joy. It was unabated, unhindered, unashamed. Her eyes lit up when he entered a room. "I miss her when she leaves the room!" Theirs was a real not a screen romance, which touched all our hearts and was more inspiring than all the feats of his presidency. "I know for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead," wrote RR in his last letter to his fellow Americans on discovering he had been stricken with Alzheimer's. In eulogising "his old hero" President Bush said President Reagan always believed, "the best is yet to come." May that be another of his winning phrases and "In Memoriam", may the American people "win one for the Gipper" and calm the troubled waters of our time. By Lubna Abdel-Aziz
