A Piece of Dixon History: The proudest moment in Dixon history

DIXON – President Ronald Reagan’s 1984 visit to Dixon, which occurred 40 years ago this week, should be placed at the top of the list of the most significant events in Dixon history.

Just before the visit, on Friday, Feb. 3, 1984, Tom Shaw of The Telegraph wrote these prophetic words:

“Monday will be one of Dixon’s finest days. It will be the day when the most powerful man in the world comes back to visit his boyhood hometown. It is fantastic that our community is going to be so honored, and it is hard to fully appreciate the impact this official presidential visit is going to have on all of us, collectively and individually.”

Now, 40 years later, I feel confident in saying that Reagan’s 1984 visit to Dixon was indeed the proudest moment in Dixon history.

Regardless of your political leanings, if you were there, you can recall the excitement, the electricity and the extreme pride that radiated throughout the town on that historic day, Feb. 6, 1984. It was Reagan’s 73rd birthday or, as he called it, “the 34th anniversary of my 39th birthday.”

This special column will identify the highlights of that day, noting a few details that you might not know. Since the event was witnessed by thousands of people from different perspectives, I know that many have their own fascinating stories of that day.

The event before the event

Even though Reagan was the sitting president and 1984 was an election year, the visit was not considered a campaign event. Consequently, many of the costs for the event were paid for by local donations, not by his campaign.

The costs to the city initially were estimated at $25,000, which would include items such as the special parade reviewing stand at First and Hennepin and a variety of birthday party expenses at the DHS Lancaster Gymnasium.

To cover these costs, a fundraiser reception was held Feb. 5 at the Brandywine Lodge. About 660 local residents paid $100 each to attend the reception, which also bought them a seat at the birthday party at DHS the next day.

Neil Reagan, the president’s older brother, was one of the distinguished guests, along with Secretary of Agriculture John Block, Rep. Lynn Martin and Lt. Gov. George Ryan. During the evening, President Reagan placed a telephone call to Neil, and the call was put on speakers so all attendees could hear the conversation.

Having lived in California since 1937, the president asked Neil about the weather in Dixon. Neil said something like, “It’s colder than hell; be sure to wear your long ones.”

It was good advice. Temperatures were close to zero, not exactly ideal for an outdoor parade.

The new presidential limousine

After arriving by Air Force One at the Rockford airport, the president took the Marine One helicopter to Dixon’s Walgreen Field. He arrived with first lady Nancy Reagan and White House Chief of Staff James Baker.

At the Dixon airport, Dixon Mayor James Dixon and his wife, Judy, greeted the president and first lady. The four of them, along with Baker, then entered the new presidential limousine for a ride into town.

At the time, few realized that this was the new limo’s inaugural drive. The 1983 Cadillac’s exterior was armored and bulletproof, while the interior featured fluorescent lights that made the occupants more visible. Its roof also had been widened and raised 3 inches to increase visibility for onlookers.

For the ride into Dixon, Jim Dixon recalled that “Reagan spent most of the time looking at and playing with the new features in the car.”

The limo now is a piece of history and is on display with the Air Force One plane at the Reagan Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California.

Back home again

The president’s first stop in Dixon was his boyhood home on South Hennepin, where he lived from 1920 to 1924. Local volunteers had been working vigorously for months to restore the home to its 1920s appearance and get it ready for this historic personal inspection by its famous former resident.

The limo arrived in a 20-car entourage about 11 a.m. that wintry morning. Jim Dixon later told one reporter that while the car approached the house, Reagan had a twinkle in his eye as he reminisced about sliding down Hennepin Avenue as a boy.

On the porch of the home, Cal Covert, the chair of the Reagan Home Preservation board, presented Reagan with a gold key to the home. Then, the president and Nancy Reagan, along with Neil Reagan, toured the home and enjoyed lunch prepared by special Navy cooks.

During these moments in the home, the two Reagan brothers shared a storehouse of priceless boyhood stories. Today, docents of the Ronald Reagan boyhood home retell these stories to the delight of visitors from all over the world.

Jerry Schnake, lead docent, tells one of the more famous stories. When Reagan entered the parlor that day, he “dropped to one knee and located the treasured hiding place, which was a loose tile at the fireplace.” The president then borrowed four pennies from his brother and showed where he used to hide coins.

Reagan asked James Hickey, the home’s curator, if he could keep the loose tile.

“Of course,” Hickey said.

That tile now is on display in the Dixon room at the Presidential Library in Simi Valley.

The ‘warm welcome’ parade

Departing the home about noon, the president’s limousine proceeded to downtown Dixon, where thousands were standing in the cold temperatures awaiting his arrival. Heading north on Galena Avenue, the motorcade passed under Dixon’s iconic arch by the courthouse, turning east on Second Street by the Baptist Church then north on Ottawa to First Street.

Although most visitors were enthusiastic Reagan supporters, some sign-carrying protesters had gathered on the courthouse lawn. Two of their major fears were that Reagan would kill labor unions and that his pro-military stance would lead to nuclear annihilation.

Tight security

Extreme security was obvious wherever the president went. Such over-the-top protection had become standard since the assassination attempt on Reagan on March 30, 1981.

Tim Bivins, a Dixon police officer who later became Lee County sheriff and a state senator, recalled that local police had contact with the Secret Service for weeks before the event. Bivins even escorted agents to an outdoor firing range where they used their custom-made sniper rifles, preparing for an assassination attempt from a distance.

“I remember looking at the sky and realizing that this was the first time in the history of our city that the airspace was restricted,” he said.

Bivins also remembered that Reagan’s limo was followed by an open-air vehicle they called the “war wagon.”

“No one on the parade route knew that it had multiple weapons in easy reach of the agents inside the vehicle,” Bivins said.

Security personnel, metal detectors and explosive-sniffing guard dogs inspected cameras and bags, even checking manhole covers in the street. While security helicopters hovered overhead, agents were positioned everywhere, even on rooftops.

Bivins added that about 350 police officers from area cities and towns lined the parade route. About eight to 10 Secret Service personnel constantly walked alongside the presidential limo, and area police were stationed all along the street, keeping people on the sidewalks.

‘Howdy RON!’

The parade’s three-block stretch along First Street clearly was the focal point of the procession. As the motorcade prepared to turn west on to First Street in front of Ames Furniture (across from today’s Basil Tree restaurant), organizers released more than 5,000 red, white and blue helium-filled balloons, heralding the president’s homecoming.

As one newspaper reported, the signboards at virtually every business in town welcomed the president home. The signs often referred to Reagan in familiar terms such as “Ron,” “Ronnie” and “Dutch,” his childhood nickname.

At the First and Galena intersection, a large banner stretched across First Street, proclaiming, “Howdy, RON! HAPPY BIRTHDAY.”

Several reporters estimated that 15,000 people attended the parade. The First Street sidewalks were packed about five to 10 people deep with everyone bundled warmly for the bitter cold.

Archival video footage available on YouTube shows the masses of people waving enthusiastically and smiling broadly as Dixon’s favorite son rode by. After reaching Peoria Avenue, the motorcade turned north and hustled around the block to the special reviewing stand at the intersection of First and Hennepin.

The reviewing stand

The reviewing stand, fortified with bulletproof glass and armor plating and decorated with American flags and patriotic bunting, prominently featured the presidential seal. On the opposite side of First and Hennepin, special rafters had been erected for scores of national, regional and local news reporters, photographers and videographers.

About 12:30 p.m. the president and first lady entered the booth for the remainder of the parade. They were joined by Neil Reagan, Jim and Judy Dixon, Sen. Chuck Percy, Gov. Jim Thompson, Rep. Lynn Martin and Dan Terra, Reagan’s arts ambassador who helped prepare for the day.

For the next half-hour on that sunny but frigid day, they watched, waved and smiled as 41 parade entries and about 650 people marched by. The first entry was the Dixon Police Honor Guard, a special unit of five Dixon officers who had trained for months. Tim Bivins was one of them.

“As we passed the reviewing stand, we did a ‘right face’ and made eye contact with the president,” Bivins said. “I was thinking, ‘What a day for Dixon, and what an honor.’

“I knew this was a special moment in time that probably would never be repeated again. Someone who lived in Dixon became president of the United States and has come back home.”

Other entries included marching bands, veterans, children and equestrians, and they hailed from cities such as Amboy, Sterling, Rock Falls, Forreston and as far away as Alton and Fort Sheridan.

Jim Dixon recalled watching the bands struggle to march and play their instruments in the single-digit temperatures.

“The cold didn’t seem to affect Reagan,” he recalled. “Mrs. Reagan suffered more than he did.”

When the parade concluded about 1 p.m., the president’s entourage vacated the reviewing stand and headed for the big birthday party at Dixon High School’s Lancaster Gymnasium.

The birthday party in the gym

I was stationed that day in the gym, anchoring WSDR’s live broadcast of the entire day. I sat at the center of the top level of a three-tiered platform designed especially for the news media. We were positioned at the south end of the gym directly across from the huge stage reserved for the president and dignitaries.

The mood in that room was electric. The packed crowd of about 3,600 ticket holders enjoying the indoor warmth eagerly awaited the arrival of the fellow Dixonite who had become leader of the free world. Another 600 fans sat in nearby rooms, where they watched the “birthday party” by closed-circuit television.

On the stage were the same dignitaries from the parade along with several local leaders who helped to organize the big day. These included Dean Harrison, Dan Moats, Arnold Spangler, Paul Potts, Dr. David Deets and others.

A massive deep-blue curtain, the size of the entire gym wall, hung behind the stage with the message: “Welcome Home, Mr. President, Dixon, Illinois.” Large photos of Reagan, including some from his youth, hung throughout the gym.

Along the opposite side of the gym, above and behind our media platform, was a wide, 50-foot banner that read, “ALL OF US HAVE A PLACE WE GO BACK TO,” a reference to Dixon from Reagan’s 1949 movie, “The Hasty Heart.”

When the president finally entered the room, squeals of delight and cheers reverberated throughout. The long-awaited moment had finally arrived.

In opening remarks, Mayor Dixon said: “We take great pride in our association with him. We hope he will take strength from the love and affection we’re offering him today.”

Local Chevrolet dealer Dean Harrison, who also was involved in Reagan’s 1963 visit to Dixon, had the introducing honors, exclaiming, “Ladies and gentlemen … the president of the United States!”

The crowd erupted again in applause that continued for almost a full minute.

The president’s homecoming speech

Reagan’s 13-minute speech contained several memorable remarks. He began by noting that he was “bathed in nostalgia,” as he explained the origins of that “place we go back to” line from “The Hasty Heart.”

The original script had Reagan saying, “Everybody has a place to go back to, and for me, it’s Boston.”

Reagan then explained: “After almost four months of an English winter, I was so homesick. … I found myself saying to the director, ‘I would like to change the line.’ And I changed the line [to] ‘Dixon, a place on the Rock River.’”

The hometown crowd again erupted with screams and cheers of approval. Call me an old sap, but every time I watch that speech (on YouTube), my eyes well up with tears. Every. Time.

[View a video of Reagan’s speech at Dixon High School.]

Reagan continued: “It’s great to be back home. And, you know, if our old house on Hennepin Avenue looked as good in 1924 as it does now, I might never have left.”

“Anyway, my heart is still here. I know [Neil’s] is, and it always will be.”

Dixon in the speech

The speech was sprinkled with several references to local places and people.

“In many ways, [Dixon] hasn’t changed at all. And I’m not talking about Lowell Park or St. Luke’s or the Memorial Arch. What I’m really referring to are the values and traditions that made America great.”

He added, “It’s everyday people with big ideas that count. People like Father John Dixon, who arrived here in 1830 with his wife, five children and a dream.”

“If Father Dixon had to fill out environmental impact statements [or] report to regulatory agencies in Washington … Dixon would probably still be known as Dixon’s Ferry. And our town might never have seen people like John Deere and the Walgreens – people with ingenuity, audacity and vision.”

The president then declared, “If anybody wants to know about community and what community is all about, come to Lee County and Dixon, Illinois. … So you see the reason I came home today was not to celebrate my birthday, but to celebrate Dixon and America.”

After he closed with “God bless America,” the hometown crowd again leaped to its feet with nonstop applause. A surprise birthday cake was then rolled out, and a massive blue curtain opened to reveal another giant banner that read, “Happy Birthday, Dutch.”

Everyone sang “Happy Birthday” as hundreds of red, white and blue balloons rained down from the ceiling.

As I then broadcast my live coverage and commentary on WSDR, I was stunned as I looked around at all the people in the room. I reported, “Everyone is smiling!”

Indeed, they were. It was the climax moment of Dixon’s proudest day.

Departure and afterglow

After his speech, the president and Nancy Reagan went to a special room, where they posed for pictures with various groups, including Reagan Home volunteers, community leaders and old friends.

About 2:30 p.m., Reagan was taken to Jefferson School, where he boarded Marine One and flew to Eureka College for its 129th anniversary.

Back in the gym, the afterglow continued while the cleanup began. Jim Dixon remembered that he and Judy were exhausted from the four historic hours with the president of the U.S.

“I just sat in one of the folding chairs and looked at all the detritus,” he said. “But I thought about how well everything had gone.

For any small Midwestern town, a visit by a president of the United States would be cause for great excitement. But when that president is the ‘hometown boy’ come home to celebrate his birthday, the excitement is unbounded. The enthusiasm spilled over, and the afterglow persisted for many weeks.”

Sincerity or a stunt?

Some people surely will scoff at the event as a political stunt or allege that Reagan really cared little for Dixon. But those closest to Reagan on that day testify that the president’s bathing in nostalgia was sincere and heartfelt.

When I asked Jim Dixon about his most distinctive memories of that day, he recalled Reagan’s “real pleasure at seeing Dixon and his old home again.”

Dozens of Reagan biographies and interviews also testify to the pivotal place that Dixon genuinely held in the life and heart of Ronald Reagan.

But was it the proudest day?

So was Feb. 6, 1984, the proudest day in Dixon history?

After Reagan moved to California in 1937, he visited Dixon at least once every decade until his final visit in 1990. In 1950, The Telegraph dubbed Reagan’s visit as the “biggest event in Dixon history,” and it was indeed a proud day.

Unlike all the other visits, his 1984 birthday visit was reported in newspapers, radio and TV in every state of the union and throughout Canada and the United Kingdom. It was big news worldwide, but inside Dixon, it was even bigger.

The sitting president of the U.S. had come home and publicly claimed Dixon as his hometown.

If you have ever been tempted to think less of yourself because you’re from a small town, Ronald Reagan’s 1984 birthday visit 40 years ago is a living reminder that you are significant.

Your roots in this historic, rural Midwestern town are a key reason your personal progress is unlimited.

• A Dixon native, Tom Wadsworth is a writer, speaker and occasional historian. He holds a Ph.D. in New Testament.