One of the greatest things about our headquarters in Plymouth Notch is welcoming all the Coolidge fans and enthusiasts who come to the historic site eager to share their link to Silent Cal with our office staff. We welcome all kinds of people. Over the years, we’ve received an Armenian American doctor who wrote a book about the Ghazir Orphan Rug presented to Coolidge in 1925, a retired woman from Arizona whose father met Coolidge during a pharmacist’s convention in D.C. in 1924, and a man who attended the Clarke School for the Deaf and met Mrs. Coolidge while she was active on the school’s board in the early 1950s. These connections help bring Coolidge nearer to those of us born long after he and his immediate relatives passed on.
We were privileged on Monday, July 11th, to receive Paul Walker and Garson Fields from Northampton, Massachusetts, the Coolidge’s adopted hometown. Messrs. Walker and Fields were active in the Calvin Coolidge Commemorative Society back in the 1980s and 1990s. They shared a wonderful scrapbook of news clippings from the society’s heyday, as well as the precious gem linked above. That gem, which we highly encourage you to watch, is a video of America’s 40th president, Ronald Reagan, accepting the 1990 Calvin Coolidge Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award from the Coolidge Commemorative Soicety. In this video President Reagan warms the hearts of all Coolidge admirers as he sings the praises of America’s 30th president, lauding Coolidge for balancing the federal budget, reducing taxes, and promoting peace throughout the world.
This video is a genuine treasure because it confirms what we’ve long known about President Reagan. The Gipper admired President Coolidge’s record of leadership, and he sought to emulate Coolidge’s example during his own White House years. We have never seen a more crystal clear exposition of Reagan’s affection for Coolidge, and we could not be more grateful to Paul Walker and Garson Fields for allowing us to share this video with all of our Coolidge friends. We hope President Reagan’s words will warm your heart and renew your affection for the Man from Plymouth Notch.
If you are interested in learning more about the Coolidge-Reagan connection, be sure to check out our world-class Coolidge vs. Reagan debate held last Fall at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics!