Ronald Reagan shows off an honorary Falcons jersey presented him during his appearance at Anderson Arena in 1984. On the left is then-Congressman Delbert Latta, R-Bowling Green, who was instumental in organizing the presidential visit to BGSU.

Ronald Reagan's 1984 visit to campus remembered

As the nation mourns the death of President Reagan, BGSU remembers his visit to campus on Sept. 26, 1984. Anderson Arena was packed with 5,000 cheering supporters who had come to see him and hear the foreign policy speech he was to deliver, while thousands more waited outside for a glimpse of the president.

Newspaper clippings from the time show students camped out overnight, some for over 36 hours, waiting to get tickets to the speech. Headlines described the “roaring,” “pep rally welcome” they delivered to Reagan.

Reagan was “very happy with the youth response,” Bob Latta, then chairman of the Reagan-Bush Fifth District Re-election Committee, told the Sentinel-Tribune at the time. “He said it’s a great sign for the country that they’re so involved,” noted Latta, now a member of the Ohio House of Representatives.

The president told the gathered students they warned his heart and said, “Your generation is really something. You’ve made love of country fashionable again. Thank you for helping turn our country around.”

In memory of the president, Prout Chapel will be open all day. The Bowen-Thompson Student Union Theater will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. so that campus community members may view the funeral service as well as pre-service events on the theater screen. The service is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. The television monitors in the Falcon Food Court Nest will also show the funeral and events of the day.

Reagan gives a "thumbs-up" to the enthusiastic crowd.	Frieda Falcon and Reagan share a hug.