WASHINGTON — A standing- room-only crowd filled the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday for the unveiling of President Ronald Reagan’s statue, representing California in Washington’s version of a national hall of fame.
Nancy Reagan called it a “wonderful likeness of Ronnie,” adding, “He would be so proud.”
The former first lady, her voice choked with emotion, recalled her last visit to the rotunda, five years ago when Reagan lay in state.
“It’s nice to be back under happier circumstances,” she said.
The ceremony came one day after President Barack Obama signed legislation creating the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission to plan a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Reagan’s birth in 2011.
The 500-pound bronze sculpture features a 7-foot-tall Reagan. The base includes pieces of the Berlin Wall.
The Reagan likeness replaces a statue of Civil War-era orator and minister Thomas Starr King, which had stood in the Capitol since 1931 as one of California’s two representatives in the National Statuary Hall Collection. California’s other representative is the Rev. Junipero Serra.
Don Ritchie, the Senate’s associate historian, said that though he was sad to see the King statue go, “I’ve rarely met a Californian who knew who he was.”
Colorado’s two statues in the Capitol honor pioneering female scientist Dr. Florence Sabin and astronaut John Swigert.
