Posted - September 7, 2010

National Conference at Eureka College to Highlight Reagan's Midwestern Years

January 14 & 15, 2010

Eureka College will host noted authors and scholars from around the United States at a Ronald Reagan-themed academic conference this winter. The "Reagan and the Midwest" conference Jan. 14 and 15 will explore aspects of life in the Midwest from the early 1900s to the 1930s and how those aspects influenced Reagan's formative years.

The event will be part of the Eureka College Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration to observe the 100th anniversary of Reagan's birth in 2011.

Conference participants will include former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III and authors Martin Anderson and Annelise Anderson. Other participants will be announced later.

Meese was attorney general from 1985 to1988 during Reagan's second term. The Andersons co-edited several books of Reagan's writings, including "Reagan, In His Own Hand" and "Reagan, A Life in Letters." The couple also wrote "Reagan's Secret War: The Untold Story of His Fight to Save the World from Nuclear Disaster" using recently declassified documents.oldin

The conference also will include the presentation of papers by scholars who will discuss the historical and social context of Reagan's life in the Midwest and at Eureka College. Papers will include "Midwestern Echoes in the Formation of Ronald Reagan's Personal and
Political Identities,"  "Personally Prudent but Publicly Prolifigate: The Impact of the Great Depression on Reagan's Generation" and "Myth, History and Reagan's Youth in Presidential Biography."

The conference will be open to the public. Details will be announced later. For more information, contact Eureka College Provost Philip Acree Cavalier at (309) 467-6300 or go to reagan.eureka.edu.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Eureka College's Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration will honor an outstanding alumnus and servant leader Ronald Reagan on the centennial of his birth, Feb. 6, 2011, and celebrate the achievements of Eureka College for its heritage and legacy of creating servant-leaders. Reagan graduated from Eureka College in 1932. He returned to the campus 12 times and served three six-year terms on the Board of Trustees.

Contact:

Michele Lehman

Media Relations Coordinator

mlehman@eureka.edu

(309) 467-6318