Rare ALS as president signed “Dutch,” one page, 6.75 x 9, White House letterhead, no date, but postmarked December 7, 1981. Letter to his longtime friend Lydia “Hup” MacArthur. In full: “It’s that time again – Christmas and you know I wish you & so does Nancy – the Merriest of Christmases & a Happy New Year! We’ll be spending ours in Wash. – Christmas that is – we get to Calif. for a couple of days over New Years. This is always a time for Warm & Happy memories of holidays past. I remember them in Des Moines and they grew more pleasant & treasured with the years. I don’t think in those days we could have predicted what I’d be doing now. Maybe it’s good we couldn’t. It would have spoiled the fun. Merry Christmas, Love, Dutch.” In fine condition.
Lydia Hupfer “Hup” MacArthur was the widow of Pete MacArthur, program director of WOC in Davenport, Iowa. In 1932, MacArthur had given a then 21 year-old Reagan his first job as a sports announcer. They would remain friends until her passing at the age of 102 in 1995. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Reagan’s hand. Also accompanied by photocopies of a UPI article Reagan wrote, a page from Time magazine’s January 5, 1981 Reagan Man of the Year issue mentioning Peter MacArthur, and a 1982 article about Hup MacArthur.
One would think that spending his first Christmas in the White House would occupy much of the 40th President’s “free time” yet it’s interesting to note that he spent at least part of this holiday season reminiscing about the distant past—when an out-of-work Reagan jumped at the chance to work in radio. By his own admission, the venture, at least initially, was less than successful. Eventually, Pete MacArthur took young Dutch Reagan under his wing and worked on his broadcast delivery. Reagan’s persistence paid off, as he spent four years at the station and gained a level of fame that, of course, would only expand over time! Nearly 50 years later, a pensive Reagan here recalled how he rose from unemployment during the Great Depression to leader of the free world. Clearly, he never forgot the kindness shown by MacArthur or his wife as the president fondly remembered those “pleasant & treasured” memories. A rare offering of notable poignancy. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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