the beginning of the Reagan era

The hotly contested Republican primary season reminds me of the beginning of the Reagan era.

Yes, I was there back in May of 1976, when Ronald Reagan visited the campus of Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tenn. He was running for the republican nomination against the "chosen one" of the Republican establishment, Gerald Ford.

You may recall that President Gerald Ford was never elected into that office. He was chosen by President Richard Nixon to be his Vice-President, replacing then Vice-President Agnew, who became the first Vice-President to resign office. Later, when Nixon resigned because of the Watergate scandal, Gerald Ford became the President for the remainder of the term. I have always believed that the Republican "establishment" chose Ford to be their number one candidate during the 1976 primary season (He went on to lose to Jimmy Carter.) Even though Reagan did not win the nomination that year, we were excited that someone with his convictions and backbone was finally running for President. Four years later he would go on to become the President and serve two terms. I believe Reagan could have served three or four terms if the Constitution allowed.

The rally at Tennessee Temple was huge. I remember the wall-to-wall feeling in that gymnasium. I was in the concert band and we were asked to perform during the rally, playing Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever." The security was tight, but nothing like it would be today. click to read an article from Chattanooga.com