Mikhail Gorbachev to visit central Illinois in March

Former Soviet leader to promote Eureka College’s new

Ronald Reagan Society

Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader who worked with U.S. President Ronald Reagan to end Communist rule in Eastern Europe and secure relations with the West through disarmament pacts, will visit Reagan’s alma mater this spring. Gorbachev will help Eureka College promote its new Ronald W. Reagan Society designed to carry forward the Reagan legacy at the school.

“We are delighted that President Gorbachev has accepted our invitation to visit Eureka because his visit will bring a renewed recognition of the college’s long-standing role in helping young leaders, like Ronald Reagan, to find their vision and voice for careers in public service,” said Eureka College President J. David Arnold. “Given the threats we face in today’s post 9-11 world, we are eager to hear from President Gorbachev about the lessons we can learn from when he and President Reagan partnered to move the world toward peace and freedom.”

Gorbachev’s March 27 visit will include a town hall-style meeting with the campus community. He also will tour the Reagan museum and peace garden, which includes a 5-foot section of the Berlin Wall. Reagan’s 1987 speech at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, Germany, included the now-famous quote, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

Gorbachev also will deliver the keynote address at the college’s second annual Ronald Reagan Day dinner at 7:30 p.m. in the Peoria Civic Center ballroom. He will speak on the leadership lessons of Ronald Reagan and how building relationships between leaders can change the world. Tickets are free to members of the Ronald Reagan Society. For the public, tickets are $250 and are available by calling (309) 467-6313 or by clicking here>

The Creve Coeur Club of Peoria will hold its 111th annual George Washington Banquet in conjunction with the Reagan dinner, creating an unprecedented partnership, said Tim Elder of the Creve Coeur Club. “Now, for the first time in the long tradition of the George Washington Banquet, the Creve Coeur Club is honored to partner in hosting an event of historic proportions that also raises support for the development of new leaders.”

                                             
Gorbachev will help the college promote its new Reagan Society to support the college’s existing Reagan-related programs and develop new programs to carry forward the 40th president’s legacy at the school, said John Morris, development director for Reagan-related programs. “The society is a way to, among other things, support the transformation of people of all ages into authentic leaders through the study of the best values, skills and principles of Ronald Reagan,” Morris said. Existing programs include the leadership program that provides full-tuition, four-year scholarships to six freshmen each year, the museum and the peace garden. New programs will include visiting scholars, endowed chairs, special speakers and a network of mentors for students, Morris said.                                  

Annual memberships in the society range from $1,000 to more than $25,000. Members pledging at least $2,500 will receive a bronze medallion designed by Lonnie Stewart, the Peoria sculptor who created the bust of Reagan that is the centerpiece of the college’s peace garden. Members’ names will be included on a donor wall near the museum, and members will receive the new “Leadership Letters” newsletter and will be notified of Reagan-related speakers and other events.

Ronald Reagan’s son, Michael Reagan, who is a Eureka College trustee, has shown his support for the society. In a letter to society members, Michael Reagan wrote, “When it comes to Ronald Reagan, there is one college that is the torch bearer. Eureka College is more committed to the living legacy of Ronald Reagan than any other institution of learning in America. Set among the Illinois small towns where Ronald Reagan grew up, Eureka College is his proud alma mater where my dad found a vision and voice that would help him lead throughout his life. In his words, ‘Everything that was good in my life began here.’”

To date, the following businesses are sponsoring the March 27 event:  Oak River Foundation, Caterpillar Inc., CEFCU, State Farm Insurance, and G & D Underwriters. Additional support has come from RLI, Jonathan and Sharon Michael, Martin Engineering, Andrew and Mary Muir, Illinois Mutual, Bradley Smith, Glen and Polly Barton, Petersen Health Care, Dust Boss, R.A. Cullinan & Son and Mangold Ford-Mercury.

For more information about the Ronald W. Reagan Society or the March 27 events, contact Morris at (309) 467-6477 or reagan@eureka.edu or visit reagan.eureka.edu.

 ###

Contact:

Michele Lehman

Media Relations Coordinator

mlehman@eureka.edu

(309) 467-6318

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev

Media desiring information about covering the March 27 Mikhail Gorbachev events must contact:

Michele Lehman
Media Relations Coordinator
309-467-6318
mlehman@eureka.edu

Downloadable Photos

- high resolution -

Click on photo for download.

Use captions below.

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, left, and U.S. President Ronald Reagan sign the INF agreement to reduce the number of nuclear arms on Dec. 8, 1987.

Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, right, and U.S. President Ronald Reagan visit at a summit in Geneva, Switzerland, in November 1985.

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, right, and U.S. President Ronald Reagan pose for photographs at the November 1985 summit in Geneva, Switzerland.

- downloadable photos are public domain -
Courtesy of The Ronald Reagan Museum at Eureka College.