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Sunday, February 06, 2011

Super Bowl? Today is the 100th birthday of President Reagan

Today marks the 100th Birthday of President Ronald Reagan.

Portrait of President Ronald Reagan (photo)
hangs in Judge Steve Walker's Courtroom

In 1981 President Ronald Reagan addressed 10,000 delegates to the National Junior Chamber of Commerce Convention in San Antonio. The speech was his 2nd after the John Hinkley assassination attempt.

As President of the San Antonio Junior Chamber (then called Jaycees) we were the guest host chapter for his appearance. I stood less than 50 feet from him with a copy of his prepared script in my hand following along as he addressed the convention.

He elicited numerous ovations as he presented his 20 minute speech. 27 years later I was elected as a Justice of the Peace. Since I took office, his portrait continues to hang in my courtroom as a reminder of my encounter in 1981.

Judge Steve Walker
a.k.a. Walker Report Publisher/Editor


Editor's Note: Wikipedia Entry: "On June 24, 1981, while waiting for President Reagan to take the podium at the U.S. Jaycees National Convention at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, the Jaycee members and their guests—about 10,000 people—began doing the wave.

"It lasted for about three or four minutes before the Secret Service requested the U.S. Jaycee President ask the membership to stop the action, presumably because it made it difficult to monitor the crowd. This address by the President was only the second major speech after he had been shot by John Hinckley Jr. on March 30, 1981."

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