Mayor of Grantham attends ceremony in the United States to mark special relationship between birthplaces of Margaret Thatcher and former President Ronald Reagan
The Mayor of Grantham has taken part in a ceremony which has cemented a special relationship between his town and the birthplace of former American President Ronald Reagan.
Councillor Graham Jeal and the Mayor of Tampico, Illinois, Kristine Hill, unveiled a plaque on Friday at the Ronald Reagan Birthplace to mark the creation of the pairing between their two historic towns.
Around 200 people, including schoolchildren, residents, local politicians and state broadcasters were present at the unveiling.
Last month it was announced that Grantham, the birthplace of the late UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and Tampico, the birthplace of the late Ronald Reagan – would establish a pairing relationship. The Grantham Museum and the Birthplace Museum of Ronald Reagan are the first two organisations to develop ties.
Coun Jeal, who travelled to the United States at his own expense, stayed in the area for two days where he visited the boyhood home of Ronald Reagan in the City of Dixon and addressed a number of community groups in the area.
Coun Jeal said: “There is a lot that we can learn from Tampico and the surrounding area. They are keen to develop links with Grantham to improve tourism and create relationships between civic groups.
"This is not a part of Illinois I have been to before but I feel that there are very many things this area has in common with the people of Grantham and South Lincolnshire. I look forward to building on these transatlantic friendships.”
Coun Jeal, who is also a trustee of the Grantham Community Heritage Association, presented Joan Johnson and Sean Sandrock, who work at the Ronald Reagan Birthplace, with a gift from the Grantham Museum.
It is hoped the pairing between Grantham and Tampico will reflect the special relationship enjoyed by the United States and the United Kingdom when Lady Thatcher and President Reagan were leaders of their countries during the 1980s.
Margaret Thatcher (nee Roberts) was born and raised in Grantham and attended Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School, before gaining a scholarship to study at Oxford University. Her father Alfred, a grocer, was Mayor from 1945 to 1946.
She was Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 and was the United Kingdom’s longest serving Prime Minister of the 20th century. She entered the House of Lords in 1992.
Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Iliinois, in an apartment above a bakery on February 6, 1911, graduating from Eureka College in 1932.
He served as the Governor of California from 1967 to 1975 after a successful career in Hollywood, and was the 40th President of the United States of America from 1981 to 1989.