I chose Nancy Reagan as one of the most inspirational women in my life.  I‘m sure most of you know her as the former First Lady of the 40th president of the United States, but how many of you remember her as the “Just Say No” lady?

Born in New York City as Anne Francis Robbins, “Nancy”, as her mother called her, was adopted at age 14 by her step-father, Dr. Loyal Davis, a neurosurgeon. Nancy Davis followed in her mother’s footsteps eventually becoming an actress. Nancy graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts where she received her bachelor’s degree in dramatic arts. Nancy worked as a nurse’s aide in Chicago and ironically, a few years later, moved to Hollywood to star in eleven feature films called “The Doctor and the Girl”. It was in Hollywood that Nancy met and married her husband, Ronald Reagan, then a struggling actor. In 1956, four years after Nancy and Ronald were married, Nancy left her Hollywood career to become a full time wife and mother of two.

In 1966, Ronald was elected governor of California. It was during his two terms as governor that Nancy began fundraising for several causes. As the First Lady of California, Nancy gave all of her income to the National League of Families of American POW-MIA. She became even more passionate about promoting the “Foster Grandparent Program”, first in California, and eventually, in every state. This program brought handicapped kids together with the elderly as a form of group therapy.

In 1982, one year after her husband was sworn into the office of the President of the United States, Nancy began promoting “drug education and prevention programs for children and young adults”. When visiting an elementary school in California, Nancy asked the kids what they would say if someone offered them drugs, their answer “Just Say No” became the anti-drug catch phrase of the decade. It sparked the organization of many elementary, middle and high school programs in which kids made a promise NOT to try drugs. Nancy took her anti-drug campaign to the White House and eventually to the international level.

President Reagan signed an anti-drug abuse bill called the “National Crusade for a Drug free America” and in 1986, it became law. Two years later, Nancy Davis Reagan addressed the U.N. General Assembly, (the first time for any First Lady), concerning international interception of illegal drugs and trafficking laws. Every year during the eight years her husband was in office as President, Nancy was voted as one of the ten most admired women.

In 1989, the Nancy Reagan Foundation merged with the Best Foundation for a Drug-free Tomorrow to form the Nancy Reagan Afterschool Program promoting youth drug prevention and life-skills programs.

In 1987, the year her mother died, Nancy was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her decision to have a mastectomy resulted in severe criticism.

In 1994, when Nancy’s beloved husband, Ronald was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the Ronald & Nancy Reagan Research Institute in Chicago to fund research for the disease was started. For the next ten years, Nancy’s full-time devotion to her husband as his primary caregiver until his death in 2004 limited her public activities to the Los Angeles area as a supporter of the National Alzheimer’s Association.

The reason that I’ve chosen Nancy Reagan as the woman that inspires me the most is obvious. Many women can relate to her. She’s the genuine article. Look from where she came. She was an only child of divorced parents, raised by her aunt while her single mother worked. She searched for her biological father as a teen before she was adopted by her step-father. Look at what she’s accomplished. She graduated from college in the 30’s followed by a successful career in the 40’s and 50’s when the norm for a woman was to stay at home and raise a family. First as California’s First Lady and then again as our nation’s First Lady, Nancy Reagan raised awareness and funds, as well as promoting and supporting several non-profit organizations. She was responsible for getting a law passed, then took her drug awareness above and beyond by addressing the U.N. Look at what she has endured. Before the signing of the INF Treaty in 1987 in which she played a big part, Nancy endured both breast surgery and the loss of her mother. Even in the face of adversity, she persevered. She has touched so many lives by giving unselfishly of herself.  At nearly 91 years young, Nancy Reagan is still politically active and living her life to the fullest.

http://www.nndb.com/people/870/000022804/

http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=41