Sacramento reflects on his legacy
By Dion Nissenbaum and Mark Gladstone

Posted on Sun, Jun. 06, 2004
Mercury News Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Tucked away in a little-visited corner of the state
Capitol, Ronald Reagan’s portrait hangs beside those of his fellow
former governors — though his is the only one protected by glass.

While Jerry Brown was derided as “Governor Moonbeam” and Gray Davis
was recalled by disenchanted voters, Reagan is the only California
governor whose official portrait was defaced, a reflection of the
visceral reactions he still draws.

But on Saturday in this city where Reagan’s career as an elected
official began 37 years ago, any criticism was mostly muffled by the
grief of tourists and local residents.

As word began to spread that the president had died, school groups,
guided tours and visitors from around the globe trudged up four flights
of carpeted stairs to stand below Reagan’s portrait and reflect on
his legacy.

“Guys would have jumped off Niagara Falls for him,” said William
Edward Sullivan, a 79-year-old retired Army major who met Reagan two
decades ago during a presidential stop at a militay base. “I really
think he was one of the best presidents we ever had.”

Throughout the afternoon, visitors passed by Reagan’s portrait and
gazed up at the lifelike depiction of the smiling former governor
standing in Capitol Park with the afternoon sun bouncing off the
swoop of his trademark hair.

“He was always a man of integrity,” said Jerry Hunter, a pastor
from Bradenton, Fla. “He gave America hope and built up the American
spirit.” In death, as in life, Reagan evoked mixed reactions.

“He wasn’t my favorite, but rest in peace, I guess,” said one tourist
who declined to give his name.

For many years, Reagan’s portrait greeted visitors entering the
west side of the Capitol. But it was defaced several times over the
years, with pranksters adding horns and a mustache, said tour guide
Anne Adrian.

After being restored, the painting was moved to the third floor, next
to the impressionistic portrait of former Gov. Jerry Brown and the more
traditional paintings of former Govs. Geore Deukmejian and Pete Wilson.

Blocks from the Capitol at the Old Governor’s Mansion, there was a
mix of sadness and relief that Reagan was no longer suffering from
the debilitating and draining effects of Alzheimer’s.

At midafternoon, the news was just sinking in for tour guides and
visitors. The U.S. flag still had not been lowered, 90 minutes after
the announcement that the state’s 33rd governor had died.

Reagan and his wife, Nancy, moved into the 127-year-old gingerbread
house after his landslide victory over Democratic Gov. Pat Brown
in 1966.

But they stayed only three months, partly because the house was along
a busy street across from a smelly gasoline station. Nor was it a
child-friendly neighborhood for their active young son, Ron Jr.,
who liked sliding down the home’s banister.

Despite their short stay, a tour guide said visitors always ask about
the Reagans, especially about why there is just one photo of Nancy
on display. The gift shop sells a Nancy Reagan Fashion Paper Doll
et. And the guide said a display of a larger set of Reagan photos
was planned even before Reagan’s death.

“It’s sad because he left such a legacy in the United States,” said
Ken Toczyski, 48, a Louisville, Ky., minister. Recalling an uncertain
America of the late 1970s, the minister said Reagan came in and said:
“I believe in America. I think the people of America are what make
us great, and I want to see that greatness restored.”

Visitors on Saturday said the events of Reagan’s presidency are seared
in their memories.

“I can’t believe he lived so long. I remember when he was elected and
when he was shot. I remember what I was doing. I was in grade school,
in sixth grade,” said Joe Pounds, 34, a chef from Brooklyn, N.Y.,
who grew up in Sacramento.

It wasn’t just everyday people who were recalling the Reagans. Senate
President Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco, who served in the
Assembly when Reagan was governor, remembered his biting humor, even
when he was a target. Burton recaled how Reagan once labeled him as
“the one man in Sacramento who has the most to fear from the squirrels
in Capitol Park.”

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger canceled a trip to Las Vegas planned for
Monday. Like Reagan, Schwarzenegger made the leap from Hollywood
films to Sacramento. And before Reagan died, Schwarzenegger said
there was another connection. “He has been a big idol of mine,” said
Schwarzenegger. “I’ve campaigned for him. I’ve gone out there handing
out leaflets, making phone calls on his behalf, and was very active
during the campaign to make sure he becomes the president. And this
was at the time when I was not even a citizen yet.”