Ronald Reagan (A Life)

It was in '11, somewhere in Tampico, Illinois
That on February sixth, the Reagan family had a boy
In '32, Ron finished college, was student body prez
Then, a sports announcer for the Cubs, voiced hits, runs and misses
From '37, acted in movies in Hollywood
In '42 to '45, served for the war as best he could

Ron met actress Jane Wyman on set, and in '40, they wed
In '49, they split, Nancy, in '52, his wife instead
Ron had five children, adopted Michael, and with Jane, two more
Then, with Nancy, Ron, in '58, Patti, six years before
He was SAG president, had strong feelings, wanted to lead
Two terms Governor of California, planted the seed

Ronald Reagan, 40, '81 to '89
He steered the US from the rocks, our journey realigned

In '76, Ron ran for prez and lost, '80, he won
His focus, the economy, Cold War, and inflation
In '81, Ron was nearly killed, but survived and carried on
Reduced taxes, grew our defense, improved our reputation
'84, reelected, the Cold War's end what he intends
Russia's Gorbachev and he signed an arms treaty and made friends

The year Ron left the White House, Russia tore down the Berlin Wall
Then, five years later, Alzheimer's disease made him withdraw
He and Nancy lived a quiet life up to the very last
At 93, on June five, 2004, Ron Reagan passed
His legacy, the peaceful end to what could've been a nuclear war
He moved America to a better place than it was before