BY: John Heubusch - Ronald Reagan: An Essay on the Legacy of an American Icon

Executive Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute (2009-2021)

It was the honor of my life to serve as the executive director of the Reagan Foundation and Institute. I deeply enjoyed every minute in the role because I had the opportunity to work closely with an incredible team of professionals dedicated to the preservation and promotion of our 40th President’s legacy.  

It was Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980 that inspired me to dive into politics and public service after graduating from college that same year. But unlike many remarkable people I had the pleasure of meeting while leading his foundation many years later, I never served in the Reagan Administration. Rather, I was a foot soldier in the “Reagan Revolution” who as a lowly intern in the House of Representatives scored a front-row seat to American history in the making.  My first assignment? Fill a nosebleed seat at President Reagan’s inauguration on January 20, 1981. By the time he left office in January 1989, I’d risen through the ranks on Capitol Hill, sat on the edge of my seat at each of his State of the Union addresses, and fought fiercely to promote his vision and legislative agenda in Congress.  

You can imagine why I stood in awe of those I met who knew and worked for President Reagan. Mrs. Reagan, of course, tops the list. Post-presidency, her steady hand guided the Reagan Foundation for over 25 years, ensuring the lights of her husband’s library will be forever lit. Other greats I was fortunate enough to work with include every one of the foundation’s board members and its capable chairman, Fred Ryan. Cabinet members I’d admired from afar during the Reagan years such as Ed Meese, George Shultz, James Baker, Elizabeth Dole, Ann McLaughlin-Korologos, and Bill Bennett spoke eloquently and often at their President’s library. As a late-blooming but aspiring author, famed speechwriters like Peggy Noonan, Ken Khachigian, Mari Maseng-Will, and Peter Robinson, each of whom gave flight to President Reagan’s timeless words, remain heroes of mine as well.  

Ronald Reagan was a remarkable American. So too are all those who have supported him throughout the years.