MAGNOLIA—Although it is difficult to find your own identity when you have famous parents, Michael Reagan said he has found his own place in the world and is no longer just the son of famous actress Jane Wyman and President Ronald Regan.
Reagan, a bestselling author and radio talk show in his own right, spoke to a full house September 18 at the Reynolds Center Grand Hall for the Farmers Bank & Trust Distinguished Speaker Series.
The event helped raise $32,000 for the SAU Foundation and also helps fund scholarships for deserving young students who might not be able to pay for college otherwise.
“My dad truly believed in education,” Reagan said. “Who knows if one of these students you are helping will grow up to be president of the United States?”
Reagan said his father’s legacy as president was likely created because he did not strive to create one. But his legacy was truly formed as he built a relationship with the last leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, witnessed the end of the Cold War with the removal of the Berlin Wall and helped to rebuild America’s economy. But what his son remembers most about his father is his sense of humor. Reagan learned early on that if he was going to understand his father, he would have to learn how to understand parables.
“My dad never told you if you were right or wrong unless you were a Russian,” Reagan said, causing laughter to erupt in the audience.
Of his mother, Jane Wyman who passed away in the week before Reagan’s scheduled appearance at SAU, Reagan said he could not thank her more for the tough love she showed him. When he was fired from his radio talk show to be replaced by Rush Limbaugh in 1992, Reagan called his mother feeling sorry for himself and wondering where his life would take him next.
“She said, ‘Michael, shut up and keep driving,’ ” he said. “And I did and I celebrated my 16 years on radio on September 7 this year.”
Early in his childhood when he wanted a 10-speed Schwinn bike, she told him that he would have to earn money towards the bike by getting a job as a paper boy. Her explanation to him was simple.
“She said that if she gave me everything I wanted then I would grow up to be a 40-year-old child,” he said. “She said, ‘I build men, not boys. I want you to grow up to be a 40-year-old man.’”
Reagan said he ultimately thanks her for her tough love.
Other than the presentation by Reagan, the night was also about recognizing the recipients of the Farmers Bank and Trust scholarships which are generated by the event. This year’s scholarship recipients were Martin Hawron of New Boston, Tx., who is considering majoring in engineering and physics, and Sydney Kilgore of Camden, Ark., who is planning to major in sociology and history. Both of the students were asked to stand and be recognized.
“I think the scholarship is just a reflection on all our hard work, but this event is pretty special, it is flattering,” Kilgore said.
This was the third year for the Farmers Bank & Trust Distinguished Speaker Series. Speakers of the past were Steve Forbes and Oliver North.
