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Meeting President Ronald Reagan PDF Print E-mail

by Clint Smith
Chairman, Dawson County Republican Party

President Reagan and Clint Smith
President Reagan and Clint Smith
I was a very active member of the Young Republicans in the early 1990s.  One day in February of 1990, Bill Thorne, the Executive Director of the Georgia Republican Party, asked me to carry out an important assignment.  Former President Ronald Reagan was coming to Atlanta to speak at the annual President’s Day Luncheon GOP fundraiser.  Thorne asked Young Republican State Chairman Hunter Johnson of Cobb County and me to serve as drivers for President Reagan’s staff.  I drove Nancy Reagan’s personal assistant Sandy Warfield around town during their three day visit.

I had the memorable experience of interacting briefly with the U.S. Secret Service as they coordinated all details of the presidential visit.

The itinerary included a stop by Nancy Reagan to a youth center in Atlanta where she spoke on her ‘Just Say NO’ anti-drug program.  Ms. Warfield had Mrs. Reagan sign an autographed copy of her book ‘My Turn’ for me.

Later, President Reagan gave a rousing speech to the Republican activists and donors assembled for the luncheon at the World Congress Center.

The big highlight for me was the opportunity to meet President Reagan in his suite at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Buckhead.  He was very friendly and gracious to me.  Later, I received an autographed photograph of my visit with him.

I have always greatly admired President Ronald Reagan.  I respected him for his strong conservative convictions, unbridled optimism, courage, and perseverance.  Everyone in the Republican family truly misses him.

When he passed away in 2004, Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher eulogized President Reagan with the following comments:  “In his lifetime, Ronald Reagan was such a cheerful and invigorating presence that it was easy to forget what daunting historic tasks he set himself.  He sought to mend America’s wounded spirit, to restore the strength of the free world, and to free the slaves of communism.  These were causes hard to accomplish and heavy with risk.”

A true visionary, President Ronald Reagan’s steadfast leadership led to the end of the Cold War and created the largest peacetime economic expansion in U.S. history.  His eternal optimism embodied in “that shining city on a hill” imagery captured the heart and spirit of patriotic Americans of all ages.

This Saturday, March 12, the Dawson County Republican Party will hold its 2011 County Convention.  Our theme will be ‘President Ronald Reagan:  Legacy of Conservative Leadership’.  The agenda will feature a program in honor of President Reagan’s one-hundredth birthday.  County officers will be elected for the 2011-2013 term and delegates and alternates with be elected to the Ninth District Republican Convention and the State Republican Convention.

Precinct mass meetings begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. with the County Convention convening at 10:00 a.m.  All activities take place at the Bowen Center for the Arts in Dawsonville (334 Hwy 9 North).  All Dawson County registered voters who believe in the principles of the Republican Party are invited to attend.  For additional information, contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 678-316-8863.
Last Updated on Thursday, 16 February 2012 23:02