As America mourned the death of former President Ronald Reagan, preparations began Sunday for a state funeral in Washington honoring the life and accomplishments of the 40th president, a man revered by millions worldwide as a humble champion of freedom.
Reagan, 93, who died Saturday at his home in California after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease and a decade out of public view, will be honored with a funeral reminiscent of the haunting service for former President John F. Kennedy after his assassination in November 1963.
Joanne Drake, the chief of staff in Reagan’s office, said the ex-president himself approved of the funeral plans, as required by law, and wanted the services to provide opportunities for average Americans to participate and say their farewells.
Drake said Sunday was a “down day” for the Reagan family, a time to rest in order to prepare for the long goodbye to be afforded the ex-president this week. “It’s going to be a hard six days ahead of them,” she said.
As Drake disclosed the details of the state funeral, tributes continued to pour in from around the country and the world.
Bush, in France to mark the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings, hailed Reagan as a “gallant leader in the cause of freedom.”
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And former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev praised his partner on the world stage. Gorbachev said his dialogue with Reagan “kick-started the process, which ultimately put an end to the Cold War.”
Former President Carter, who suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Reagan in his 1980 re-election bid, said before teaching Sunday school in Plains, Ga., that Reagan’s death was “a sad day for our country.”
“I probably know as well as anybody what a formidable communicator and campaigner that President Reagan was,” Carter said. “It was because of him that I was retired from my last job.”
Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, lauded Reagan’s legacy of bipartisanship Sunday and canceled five days of campaign events in honor of the former president’s death.
“Yesterday, we lost one of our great optimists,” Kerry told seniors at a Toledo, Ohio, high school. “President Reagan’s belief in America was infectious. And because of the way he led, he taught us that there was a difference between strong beliefs and bitter partisanship.”
Reagan was remembered with jelly beans, flowers and American flags on Sunday at memorials in his boyhood hometown of Dixon and outside the California mortuary where the former president’s body lay.
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Funeral plans
President Reagan will lie in state at his presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif., for public viewing Monday and Tuesday.
On Wednesday his body will be taken by a horse-drawn caisson from the Ellipse near the White House to the U.S. Capitol to lie in state in the Rotunda around the clock until Friday morning.
A service at Washington’s National Cathedral, including a tribute by President Bush, will be held Friday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS.
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The Reagan years
Ronald Reagan’s years as president are well-noted for tense relations with the Soviet Union, trickle-down economics and his role as the “Great Communicator.” But for many of us, life in the Reagan era was less about the global political stage than it was about the pop stage.
Real life Year `81
On Jan. 20, Reagan is sworn in as the nation’s 40th president. He appoints Sandra Day O’Connor as the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Real life Year `82
Nancy Reagan joins her husband’s war on drugs, known for its “Just Say No” slogan.
Real life Year `83
Reagan calls the Soviet Union the “evil empire” and announces his “Star Wars” missile defense proposal.
Real life Year `84
Reagan is re-elected, winning 49 states. The Soviet Union boycotts the summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Real life Year `85
The death of actor Rock Hudson from AIDS spurs Reagan to call research a “top priority” for his administration.
Real life Year `86
The space shuttle Challenger explodes, killing all seven crew members.
Real life Year `87
On Oct. 19, the stock market drops more than 500 points.
Real life Year `88
It is revealed that Nancy used an astronomer to dictate the best days for her husband’s public appearances.
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Pop life ’81
Britney Spears is born
Dec. 2. Jenny Lopez lives in the Bronx, perhaps dreaming of her wedding days.
Pop life ’81
“Fast Times at Ridgemont High” introduces Sean Penn as pot-smoking Jeff Spicoli who just says “Yes.”
Pop life ’81
Madonna releases debut album; “Holiday” is her first Top 40 hit. Much later, her acting ambitions are “Swept Away.”
Pop life ’81
Michael Jackson’s hair catches fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial.
Pop life ’81
Magic Johnson and the Lakers win the NBA title. Six years later, Johnson announces he is HIV-positive.
Pop life ’81
Bears win the Super Bowl; Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are born.
Pop life ’81
Microsoft founder Bill Gates is a billionaire. Bruce Willis and Demi Moore marry; Ashton Kutcher turns 9.
Pop life ’81
Prozac is introduced as an anti-depressant, CDs outsell vinyl for the first time, and Guns ‘N’ Roses hits No. 1 with “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”