Nancy Reagan Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Early post–White House activities === In late 1989, the former first lady established the Nancy Reagan Foundation, which aimed to continue to educate people about the dangers of substance abuse.<ref name="Nancy Reagan">{{cite web |url=http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/nancy_bio.asp|title= Nancy Reagan: Her Life and Times|access-date= May 12, 2007|publisher= Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071112053844/http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/nancy_bio.asp |archive-date=November 12, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Foundation teamed with the BEST Foundation For A Drug-Free Tomorrow in 1994, and developed the Nancy Reagan Afterschool Program. She continued to travel around the United States, speaking out against drug and alcohol abuse. {{quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote=Ronnie's long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him.|source=— Nancy Reagan (May 2004)<ref name="BBC Nancy's image" />}} Her memoirs, ''[[My Turn (memoir)|My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan]]'' (1989), are an account of her life in the White House, commenting openly about her influence within the Reagan administration, and discussing the myths and controversies that surrounded the couple.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.a1wdb.com/cgi-bin/women/11521.html |title=My Turn Review |access-date=March 28, 2007 |publisher=A-1 Women's Discount Bookstore |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134706/http://www.a1wdb.com/cgi-bin/women/11521.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }}</ref> In 1991, the author [[Kitty Kelley]] wrote an unauthorized and largely uncited biography about Reagan, repeating accounts of a poor relationship with her children, and introducing rumors of alleged sexual relations with singer [[Frank Sinatra]]. A wide range of sources commented that Kelley's largely unsupported claims are most likely false.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-09-13-kelley-bush-book_x.htm|title=Critical book on Bushes sparks firestorm|date=September 13, 2004|access-date=December 24, 2007|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|last=Kiely|first=Kathy|quote=In 1991, The New York Times published a front-page story on Kelley's biography of Nancy Reagan—and then apologized for repeating some of its salacious charges without attempting to verify them.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2106746/|title=Kitty Kelley: Colonoscopist to the Stars|author=Crowley, Michael|access-date=June 13, 2009|date=September 15, 2004|work=Slate}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fact-or-fiction-the-incredible-world-of-kitty-kelley-428539.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fact-or-fiction-the-incredible-world-of-kitty-kelley-428539.html |archive-date=June 18, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Fact or fiction? The incredible world of Kitty Kelley|author=Usborne, David|work=The Independent|date=December 15, 2006|access-date=June 20, 2009 | location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3665-2004Sep7.html|title=Media View Kitty Kelley's Bush Book With Caution|author=Kurtz, Howard|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 8, 2004|access-date=June 20, 2009|author-link=Howard Kurtz}}</ref> In 1989, the [[IRS]] (Internal Revenue Service) began investigating the Reagans over allegations they owed additional tax on the gifts and loans of high-fashion clothes and jewellery to the first lady during their time in the White House<ref name="nyt120689">{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE6D9113CF935A35751C1A96F948260 | title= Gifts and Loans to Nancy Reagan Stir I.R.S. Interest in High Fashion | author=Hershey, Robert D. | work=The New York Times | date=December 6, 1989 | access-date=January 28, 2008}}</ref> (recipients benefiting from the display of such items recognize taxable income even if they are returned).<ref name="nyt120689" /> In 1992, the IRS determined the Reagans had failed to include some $3 million worth of fashion items between 1983 and 1988 on their tax returns;<ref name="irs">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974751,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710003104/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974751,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 10, 2009|title=Nancy with the Golden Threads|author=Castro, Janice|date=January 27, 1992|access-date=January 28, 2008|magazine=Time}}</ref> they were billed for a large amount of back taxes and interest, which was subsequently paid.<ref name="irs" /> After President Reagan revealed that he had been diagnosed with [[Alzheimer's disease]] in 1994, she made herself his primary caregiver, and became actively involved with the National Alzheimer's Association and its affiliate, the [[Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute]] in Chicago, Illinois.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" /> In April 1997, Nancy Reagan joined President [[Bill Clinton]] and former Presidents Ford and Bush in signing the Summit Declaration of Commitment in advocating for participation by private citizens in solving domestic issues within the United States.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/29/us/presidents-call-for-big-citizenship-not-big-government.html?mtrref=topics.nytimes.com|title=Presidents Call for Big Citizenship, Not Big Government|first=James|last=Bennet|date=April 29, 1997|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> Nancy Reagan was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], the nation's highest civilian honor, by President [[George W. Bush]] on July 9, 2002.<ref name="President Bush Honors Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award">{{cite press release |url= https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/07/20020709-8.html |title= President Bush Honors Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award | date=July 9, 2002 |via= [[NARA|National Archives]] |work= [[whitehouse.gov]] |access-date=March 21, 2007 }}</ref> President Reagan received his own Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 1993. Reagan and her husband were jointly awarded the [[Congressional Gold Medal]] on May 16, 2002, at the [[United States Capitol]] building, and were only the third president and first lady to receive it; she accepted the medal on behalf of both of them.<ref name="Congressional Gold Medal History">{{cite web |url= http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/goldMedal.html |title= Congressional Gold Medal History |access-date=March 8, 2007 |publisher= United States House of Representatives}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page