The assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan by the loony John Hinckley on March 30, 1981 left quite an impression on me when it occurred. I remember Mark Staples knocking on our front door and delivering the news after school that Monday. I was a Jimmy Carter supporter in the last election (mainly because my parents were), and I was incredulous that an actor could have ascended to the highest office in the land. I later came around to having a great deal of respect for Reagan, but even then it shook me that our leader could take an would-be assassin’s bullet. The other thing that I could never get out of my mind was that Reagan’s press secretary James Brady (seen above left just before the incident in the blue suit) had been shot in the head.
Amazingly, Brady survived the wound. Although partially paralyzed from the incident, Brady remained Reagan’s Press Secretary for the duration of his two terms in office, although he never actually performed any of the duties. Not surprisingly, he became a strong advocate of gun control and was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 1996.
But ten years prior to that, James Brady was still on my mind – so he was the first person I chose to send a letter to in 1986. I mailed him a request for an autograph on January 14 and he responded on April 28 by sending me the autographed photo below. This photo was obviously taken after the shooting as his head is visibly scarred. It was getting unique autographs of interesting people like Jim “Bear” Brady that really made collecting fun.
Autographs of 1986 will continue…
I am saddened that Brady has left us.
Ed
August 4th, 2014