Roots of a Legacy:

Ronald Reagan as a student

at Eureka College

Ronald Reagan initiated his lifelong relationship with Eureka College in 1928. That fall, he began his career as a student and as an athlete. Before he graduated, he would find himself involved in numerous campus activities, discovering the charm of college life. Fifty-four years after he started school at Eureka, he would return to campus and comment that everything good in his life began at Eureka.

By his own admission, Reagan came to college primarily to be an athlete. He played offensive tackle under legendary Eureka coach Ralph McKinzie.

In the 1929-1930 school year, Ronald Reagan was the swim team. In this famous photograph, he is ready to dive into the Pritchard swimming pool.

Among other activities, Reagan was a member of Alpha Epsilon Sigma dramatic fraternity. (Middle, back row)

Fifty years before he became President of the United States, Reagan was a member of the student senate at Eureka College. (Back, far right)

Continue to the 1947 Visit

Return to the Reagan at Eureka Photo Essay Index Page