Eureka College to Host Virtual Reagan Birthday Celebration with Michael Steele
EUREKA – In honor of the 110th anniversary of President Ronald W. Reagan’s birthday, Eureka College is hosting a virtual celebration with American political commentator Michael Steele.
The event, which will feature a moderated discussion between Steele and Eureka College President Dr. Jamel Wright, will stream on the Ronald W. Reagan Society Facebook page on Friday, Feb. 5 at 4 p.m.
In addition to being a political commentator and analyst for MSNBC, Steele is an attorney and a regular columnist for the online magazine The Root. He was previously a politician, serving as the seventh lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007 and as the chairperson of the Republic National Committee from 2009 to 2011. He was the first African American to be elected to statewide office in Maryland and the first African American to serve as RNC chairperson.
Steele is also a founding member of the new Ronald W. Reagan Advisory Council at Eureka College.
For the celebration, Wright, along with event moderator and Ronald W. Reagan Society Director Shellie Schwanke, will talk to Steele about his life experiences, his relationship with Reagan and how the liberal arts at Eureka College was a foundation for shaping Reagan’s communication style.
The virtual event will also include historic video clips of President Reagan and a virtual toast to celebrate the 166th year since Eureka College’s founding. Eureka College was incorporated on Feb. 6, 1855, by an act of the Illinois Legislature. The founding date happens to coincide with the birthdate of the college’s most famous alumnus.
Long before he was president, Ronald Reagan was a vital member of the Eureka College community and a graduate of the 1932 class. The Ronald W. Reagan Society of Eureka College is dedicated to helping President Reagan’s alma mater study, teach and share the same lessons and values President Reagan learned from Eureka College and used in his lifetime of leadership roles.
Originally founded by abolitionist members of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Eureka College holds the unique distinction of being the first college in Illinois and only the third in the nation to admit men and women on an equal basis. The College, which is located on nearly 70 wooded acres in central Illinois, is the smallest of only 24 colleges and universities to ever award a bachelor’s degree to a future President of the United States.