We recalled this week that President Reagan passed away in June 2004.  Today, we remember that the California GOP nominated Ronald Reagan for governor.  Yes, it started in the Golden State.  I guess that it was a bit different back then.

He went on to win in 1966 and then re-election in 1970.  Some of you may remember then-governor Reagan speaking at the 1968 and 1972 GOP conventions.  In fact, there was a short-lived movement to draft Reagan in 1968.

After leaving office in 1974, Pres. Reagan began writing a weekly column and doing radio messages.  It was about this time that I began to take an interest in his messages.

In 1976, he challenged President Gerald Ford and took it to the Kansas City convention.  I was a volunteer in that primary fight against President Ford.

In 1980, Reagan was elected president and re-elected in 1984.

We can say that it all started today in 1966.

However, it probably really started with that great speech supporting Senator Goldwater in October 1964.  It was called "A time for choosing" and revealed Ronald Reagan's incredible ability to communicate conservative principles.  Our family had just arrived in the U.S., and a part of that speech created some very good dinner table conversation at our home.  This is what he said:

Not too long ago, two friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a businessman who had escaped from Castro, and in the midst of his story one of my friends turned to the other and said, "We don't know how lucky we are." And the Cuban stopped and said, "How lucky you are? I had someplace to escape to." And in that sentence he told us the entire story. If we lose freedom here, there's no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.

Reagan's words touched our family.  I did not know back then that I'd be voting for him someday.  His words were discussed at our dinner table.  I hope young people today learn that if we lose freedom, then there's no place to escape.  No place.

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Image: Pixabay.