Shortly after her husband became Governor of California in 1967, Mrs. Reagan began visiting wounded Vietnam veterans and became active in projects concerning POWs and servicemen missing in action. During the war she wrote a syndicated column, donating her salary to the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Action in Southeast Asia. While First Lady of California, Mrs. Reagan made regular visits to hospitals and homes for the elderly, as well as schools for physically and emotionally handicapped children. During one of these hospital visits in 1967, she observed participants in the Foster Grandparent Program, a program which brings together senior citizens and handicapped children, and she soon became its champion. Later, as First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Reagan continued to help expand the program on a national level and promote private funding in local communities.

Mrs. Reagan's special project during her years at The White House was fighting drug and alcohol abuse among youth. To spotlight the problem, she traveled nearly 250,000 miles throughout the United States and several countries in conjunction with her campaign to fight substance abuse. She has appeared on television talk shows, taped public service announcements, written guest articles, and visited prevention programs and rehabilitation centers across the country to talk with young people and their parents.

In April 1985, Mrs. Reagan expanded her drug awareness campaign to an international level by inviting First Ladies from around the world to attend a two-day briefing in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia, on the subject of youth drug abuse. During the 40th Anniversary of The United Nations in 1985, Mrs. Reagan hosted 30 First Ladies for a second international drug conference. She was also the first American First Lady to address the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly whose meeting she attended in October 1988.

After leaving the White House on January 20, 1989, Mrs. Reagan established the Nancy Reagan Foundation to continue her campaign to educate people about the serious dangers of substance abuse. In 1994, the Nancy Reagan Foundation joined forces with the BEST Foundation For A Drug-Free Tomorrow and developed the Nancy Reagan Afterschool Program, a drug prevention and life-skills program for youth.

In October of 1989, Mrs. Reagan's memoirs, entitled My Turn, were published by Random House.

In recent years, Mrs. Reagan has devoted her time to projects related to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California where she serves on the board of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. This non-profit, non-partisan organization is dedicated to developing and fostering President Reagan's Four Pillars of Freedom: preserving individual liberty; promoting economic opportunity; advancing democracy around the world; and instilling pride in our national heritage. Mrs. Reagan is also involved with the national Alzheimer's Association and its affiliate, the Ronald & Nancy Reagan Research Institute in Chicago, Illinois.

Mrs. Reagan is the only daughter of Dr. Loyal Davis and Mrs. Edith Davis of Chicago and Phoenix. Her father, who died August 19, 1982, was Professor Emeritus at Northwestern University after serving as Professor of Surgery there for more than 30 years. Mrs. Reagan's mother, who died October 26, 1987, was involved throughout her life with many charitable organizations.

In September of 2000, Mrs. Reagan's book, "I Love You, Ronnie - The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan" was published. The proceeds of the book are being shared by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and the Alzheimer's Association.

Return