George Washington was born February 22, 1732 and Abraham Lincoln was  born February 12, 1809. Both of their birthdays used to be celebrated.

Both were honored – Washington as the father of the country and Lincoln as the preserver of the Union. They both deserved having theirbirthdays honored nationwide.

 I wonder howmany people know that Presidents Day is supposed to honor the birthdays ofWashington and Lincoln. Apparently, Presidents Day is also supposed to honor all U.S. Presidents.

When Washington and Lincoln both had their own day of commemoration schools taught children about them, learning about such things as Washington’s Farewell Address and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

How can you honor both of them, as well as all Presidents in one day and expect children to learn about them?

I suggest we go back to honoring Washington and Lincoln on the day of their actual birthdays and that each has his own day. 

One other President should be honored – Ronald Reagan who was born February 6, 1911.

Reagan deserves to be honored by means of a Ronald ReaganDay for all that he did for the U.S. and the world.

Not every U.S. President deserves a special day of commemoration, but Washington, Lincoln and Reagan certainly do.

The U.S. and the world would be much different had it not been for them.

Reagan said that America has a rendez-vous with destiny. 

It also has a rendez-vous with honoring its great Presidents,such as Ronald Reagan.

Yours truly,

Dr. Don Heinrich Tolzmann, Cincinnati

P.S. For information on the author’s recent book, German-Americana: Selected Essays, please click HERE

Caption: Dr. Don Heinrich Tolzmann presented a copy of one of his books to President Reagan in 1987 at the White House during the signing ceremony for the proclamation declaring the 6th of October as German-American Day