Then, he honed in on a request that I consider supporting a particular candidate. I explained that I was on the other side. He smiled and nodded. Not too long after that, one of his supporters called to ask if I could assist in Governor Reagan’s 1968 Presidential campaign. Again, I explained that I was going to back another candidate.

Despite this clear evidence of my lack of support, Reagan was the first person to offer to have his supporters help one of my candidates who was running for Congress in 1972. The help was invaluable; without it, we could not have won. He rounded up support for one of my candidates in 1974. Again, that help was crucial to our victory.

Then, in 1976, my friends in the Reagan camp approached me to help Reagan fight for the Republican nomination. I was committed to President Ford. When it was all over, Reagan was gracious in defeat—a remarkably close defeat. Clearly, Reagan was an extremely popular person within the Republican Party.

Four years later, I was still not on board. I supported George W. Bush. Reagan won the nomination and, with that, selected Bush for his Vice Presidential running-mate and appointed several prominent Bush people to key spots within his campaign—and ultimately, within his Administration. Shortly, I received a gracious note from Reagan which recalled our common upbringing in small-town Illinois and suggested that, finally, we could be on the same side.

In the White House, Reagan was still so very approachable: He was in the midst of preparing for a Summit Meeting but took the time to help me with a charity event. He even asked if he could do more to help. He received out-of-town visitors in the Oval Office and inspired them with stories and jokes. No matter what they thought of him before they met him, they loved Reagan after they left. He had a sort of magic.

The simple truth is that Reagan was unfailingly helpful, unfailingly appreciative, and unfailingly focused on his goals. Last week, seeing Ronald Reagan's many friends in Washington for his funeral, I was reminded of one man’s optimism. Seeing the many representatives of Eastern Europe was a reminder of his focus on rolling back the tyranny of Communism.

Representation from Western Europe was much sparser, reflecting a European concern then and now that Reagan was a little too direct, a little too blunt, too naive, too much a "cowboy." Indeed, almost forgotten is the fact that Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher disagreed on at least one key issue. Thatcher was a Euro-skeptic. Reagan was committed to a united, free and enlarged Europe. Often, that view did nothing but get him in trouble with people, especially conservatives, within the United States. Nonetheless, he believed in a strong and united Europe.

For some Presidential hopefuls, becoming President is the goal; for Reagan, the Presidency was the means to achieving his goals. Today, we debate about how well he did as President and think about his place in history. Reagan would not worry.

He knew his place in life. He was a small-town Midwesterner who lived a childhood that Mark Twain would have recognized. He broadcast Chicago Cubs games on station WHO in Des Moines. He made B movies in Hollywood. He became president of a union. He was the television spokesman for General Electric. He was elected governor of his adopted state. He ran for President of the United States three times. Finally, he was elected President.

Then, he changed the world.

copyright © 2004 Radnor Inc.