Local Boy Makes Good

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

Dixon, Illinois, is about a two hours' drive west of Chicago. It's the boyhood home of Ronald Reagan. I stopped off in Dixon while driving to Dubuque, Iowa, to speak at the Upper Midwest APA conference earlier this month.

Dixon is understandably proud of its native son. The Reagans lived there from 1920 (when Ron was nine) until 1932.

While they lived in several homes in Dixon, the one they spent the most time in is at 816 South Hennepin. It's maintained by a local non-profit, Friends of the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home. I was struck by how modest the house is.

The two brothers -- Ron and Neil -- lived upstairs, next to their parents' room. Downstairs is a small living room and family room, along with the dining area and kitchen. [The photo above right shows Ron, Neil, and their mother Nancy on a return visit to their old home; the furnishings are not original, but similar to what the Reagans owned at the time].

The house is located on South Hennepin Street, in a pleasant residential neighborhood just a few blocks from downtown Dixon, and a short way from one of the schools Ronald Reagan attended.

The school itself is now the home of the local historical society. They've preserved one of the classrooms where the future president spent some time -- though he didn't see that portrait of himself on the front wall!

There's also a series of wonderful pen and ink drawings by local artist Fran Swarbrick.

One shows Ronald Reagan as a lifeguard -- he had this job for several summers, starting as a high school sophomore. Another captures the feel of downtown Dixon in 1922, you can spot in one section of the drawing Reagan's father Jack in front of the boot shop he managed on Galena Avenue, Dixon's main street.

The historical society is also trying to develop a library collection of Reagan-related publications (though the Reagan Presidential Library is located in Simi Valley, California).

As Reagan wrote in looking back at Dixon, "I think growing up in a small town is a good foundation for anyone who decides to enter politics. You get to know people as individuals, not as blocs or members of special interest groups."

And it's pretty special for a community to have a local boy make good.