The Flags Are At Half-Staff

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan was buried today alongside her husband near the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.

Her passing Sunday, while not surprising, was still a shock for many Gen-Xers who remember the Reagan’s fondly. I still remember going with my dad up to the polling place in November 1980 when I was 8-years old and waiting for him outside. He walked out and proudly said to me “I just voted to help Ronald Reagan win the election”, which he did and took office on January 20, 1981.

I was born when Nixon was president and saw Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter come and go but I remember little from their Presidential terms but Ronald Reagan led the country during my formative years with Nancy by his side.

Her “Just Say No!” campaign made her a pop icon, appearing in PSA ads on television and posters throughout the schools and while we can now look back at statistics and see that the “Just Say No!” and DARE programs really did not have much of an impact on drug usage in teens they are still very memorable.

Nancy Reagan has appeared on a couple of cards with Ronald Reagan but she was finally immortalized last year in the 2015 Topps Allen & Ginter’s First Ladies mini set.