Handwritten Notes From Reagan On Display In Simi Valley
SIMI VALLEY (CBS) — Quotes, jokes and one-liners handwritten on note cards by President Ronald Reagan that were once used for speeches are now on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
The cards were discovered in 2010 as the library prepared for the former president's centennial celebration. The 4x6 cards are Reagan's personal collection of quotes from the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Plato and even Reader's Digest.
The black photo album storing the dozens of notes was found in an unmarked cardboard box in a desk drawer in Reagan's post-presidential office.
"He would pull it out if he was writing a speech. He would flip to cards, he knew where the cards were, he had written them in his own longhand," said Joanne Drake, Reagan's Chief of Staff.
Historians say Reagan carried the cards with him for 50 years.
"They are hugely important historically because they essentially acted as a Rosetta Stone for the president's philosophy," said John Heubusch of the Ronald Reagan Foundation.
The cards will now be on display in the library's Gubernatorial Gallery. A collection of the note cards has been published in a new book, "The Notes," on sale May 10.
