1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 37

  On this date in 1977 history, a former actor and governor of California gave a speech in  front of the CPAC- the Conservative Political Action Conference. The man in question was Ronald Reagan. In another 4 years, Reagan would become our 40th President, defeating Jimmy Carter who had just been sworn in a few days prior. But it's at this speech that political commentators and historians as the turning point in which the Republican party became the party of Reagan conservatism. 
   

Reagan, greeting the crowd at CPAC,
February 6, 1977.

    The point of today's article isn't to delve into Reagan's politics or even the subject matter of the speech. Nor am I trying to make parallels between Reagan's being an outsider to the Republican Party in 1977 with that of Donald Trump. No, the point of A Madman Turns 40 is to reflect on things from my birth year and how they impacted my life. Well, Ronald Reagan was a big part of my life as a child.

    My mother loved Reagan and she actually worked on his re-election campaign. I did too. At age 7, I remember stuffing envelopes and working at the Republican headquarters in Raleigh, NC. Why I was even taken to election rallies, voter registration drives, and a victory party at the Raleigh Hilton on election night. 

   Apparently, my mother also wanted me to experience the Reagan White House, because in 1988, my mom cashed in some political favors and got VIP tickets to tour the President's House. We never got to meet Reagan, but we got to go to extra rooms to nobody normally gets to tour, including the Lincoln Bedroom and at tour's end, we each got a small bag of Red, White, and Blue jelly beans that were President Reagan's favorite. 

    I guess my parents really wanted me involved in the political process. 

    I'm not entirely sure about that, but I have no doubt that things like the events of the 1984 election inspired me to become a history major and teacher. Though I am a chef instructor, I still love history and it plays a very large part in my lectures. You can't talk about food culture without learning the historical impacts that craft them.

JFK- another Presidential favorite of mine.

   By the way, in case you are wondering, my 5 favorite President's of the United States are-
1. Ronald Reagan
2. John Kennedy
3. Harry Truman
4. Teddy Roosevelt
5. James Garfield

   Those first 4 Presidents it's not hard to see what I like them but why Garfield? Well, fun fact- if the Final Jeopardy category is about US Presidents, over 70% of the time, the answer is James Garfield. Don't know why, but it's true!

James Garfield, Republican, President, Final Jeopardy Answer.

   Well, until tomorrow- Good Night and May God Bless America!