TitleRonald Reagan Visit to Eureka College for the 1955 Homecoming (13)
Inventory Number1955.013
Full CollectionRonald Reagan Collection - Reagan Image Collection - 5x7 Images
Object Description
This black and white photograph was taken as part of the 1955 Eureka College Homecoming festivities. This Homecoming was exceptionally notable due to the visit of Ronald Reagan, who was working as a actor in Hollywood at the time. Reagan is one of Eureka College's most famous alumni as he attended the school between 1928-1932 before going to find success in California.
The photograph shows Ronald Reagan standing with two men as they stand at the base of a tree. The men are dressed in suits and ties. It is likely that this tree is the tree known on Eureka Campus as the Recruiting Elm. The elm tree was famous for its historical significance. Under the tree in April 1861, Eureka students and faculty gathered in order to volunteer with one another in the Civil War. In total, 29 students and faculty joined the Company G of the 17th Infantry of Illinois. The elm fell in 1960, but as it is a local landmark is something that Reagan would have known about and visited as a student and even in later trips to campus. Ronald Reagan Visit to Eureka College for the 1955 Homecoming (21) (Catalog #1955.021).
Object Date1955
Object StatusCurrent
Object TypePhotographs
Country OriginUnited States
Credit LineEureka College
Full LocationEureka College Archives - Digital Archive
SubjectRonald Reagan, Actor Ronald Reagan, Eureka College Visit, 1955 Homecoming
Inventory Contact NameBouslog, Katelynn - Ronald Reagan Museum - Eureka College