AMERICAN PRESIDENTS DURING MY LIFETIME
Gerald Rudolph
Ford 1974 -1976
Ford was Nixon’s Vice President and stepped into the
Presidency when Nixon resigned. He seemed to be a kind, upstanding man with
integrity and honesty. He once came to Baylor and spoke to Chapel where I was
able to hear him speak in person. It was a day that I will remember and I was a
complete follower of his from that day on.
James Earl Carter,
Jr. 1977-1981
I never had much faith in Carter. He was always making
gaffes in political protocol. His intentions were good, but he was a weak
leader. I feel that he has benefited society more as a former president than at
the job that he performed as the President.
I remember the failed attempted rescue of 52 American hostages in the
Iran Hostage Crisis. It was the downfall of Carter’s presidency. Afterwards, negotiations
continued and the hostages were finally released with the signing of the
Algiers Accord, only minutes after President Reagan was sworn into office.
Ronald
Wilson Reagan 1981-1989
Voting for Reagan was my first time to
vote in a large election. I was highly in favor of Reagan, though skeptical
that an actor from Hollywood could be President; however, he was the governor
of California. The lines to vote were
long and before I even voted, Reagan had been declared President since the
polls had been closed for several hours in the eastern part of the U.S. I voted
anyway. He turned out to be what America needed with his gentle way of
governing and great leadership; he brought America back together again. He implemented tax deductions to spur
economic growth which was called “Reaganomics”. He survived an assassination
attempt, began the War on Drugs, and reduced inflation. He ended the Cold War,
challenging Gorbechev to ‘tear down this wall.’ Three years after he left
office the Soviet Union collapsed.
