[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 36 (Monday, March 7, 2016)] [Senate] [Page S1314] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] REMEMBERING NANCY REAGAN Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, yesterday the American people lost an icon. Nancy Davis Reagan died at the age of 94. Years ago, during an event at the White House, Nancy once serenaded her husband, singing: ``together we are going a long, long way.'' And boy did they ever. Born in New York and raised in Chicago, Nancy studied theater at Smith College in Massachusetts before moving westward to California to pursue a career in acting. She appeared in 11 motion pictures, but her life changed forever when her name appeared on the infamous list from the House Un-American Activities Committee. This was a list of people suspected of having ties to the Communist Party. Worried that she may be blacklisted, she demanded to meet with the president of the Screen Actors Guild in an effort to remove her name. And guess who was serving as president of the Screen Actors Guild-- Ronald Reagan. They met and fell in love. The rest is history. This month, 64 years ago, Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis married, and in Nancy's words: ``my life really began when I married my husband.'' And what a life it was. From the Governor's mansion in California to the White House, one thing was clear, Nancy was always on Ronald Reagan's mind. Straight out of a Hollywood script, their 52-year marriage was a true American love story. Their mutual love and devotion is a beautiful reminder of what a marriage should look like. We should all be so lucky. Fiercely loyal to her husband and America, you didn't want to get on the wrong side of Nancy Reagan. She had grit and was one tough lady when she had to be. Nancy was a passionate protector of her husband and the Presidency. And during talks with the Soviet Union, she constantly encouraged her husband to stay with it and not give up. She understood that nothing is more important than peace, and the historic START I arms reduction treaty may not have been possible had it not been for Nancy. After her husband's Presidency, she championed issues such as drug and alcohol abuse and afterschool programs. In 1994, after announcing his diagnosis with Alzheimer's, Ronald Reagan wrote: ``I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from this painful experience.'' But Nancy endured by working to stamp out Alzheimer's and tirelessly advocated for embryonic stem cell research for the rest of her life. She was determined to save other families from the pain she had gone through and she raised millions of dollars for research. She praised President Obama when he removed restrictions on the Federal funding of embryonic stem cell research and even teamed up with Ted Kennedy to work on these issues that were so close to her heart. Nancy had a special friendship with Ted Kennedy--who would call her every year on her birthday and sing an old Irish song to his dear friend. That type of bond between the two political parties is missing today in Washington. In an era when the political discourse can overwhelm the real problems we work to solve, Nancy Reagan's legacy can offer a path forward that we all can learn from. Before her death, Nancy reflected on the state of American politics and the inflammatory rhetoric we hear on the campaign trail, saying: ``Do you believe this? Do you believe this?'' Like many of us, she was disappointed by the lack of civility between the candidates. It certainly does not reflect a saying she made famous: ``Dignity should be at the center of everything we do.'' In honor of Nancy Reagan, I hope we all take that message to heart. ____________________