Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise in tribute to an American hero and Illinois resident who was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on December 2. Reginald Cooper Augustine, Jr. was born on October 12, 1913 in Decatur, IL. His parents, Reginald and Pauline, were prominent members of the community, both serving at different times on the Decatur school board. Reginald was an all American kid growing up in Illinois during the Great Depression. As a teenager in the 1920s, he spent his Saturdays at the silent moving pictures. In junior high, he spent a year delivering the Decatur Herald--getting up every morning at 3 a.m. and returning to bed by 5 a.m. During high school, he played football and participated in the school band, while also working at the Biflex Bumper Company. After graduating from Decatur High School in 1931, Reginald attended Northwestern University as a member of the third entering class of Austin Scholars. This program, launched in September 1929, provided full room, board, and tuition for 4 undergraduate years, plus a year of all-expenses paid study and travel abroad. He received his bachelor's degree from Northwestern in 1935, with a major in Latin and a minor in German. These language skills proved pivotal in the direction of the rest of his life. After college, Reginald spent 16 months touring Europe and North Africa on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that he acquired in Rotterdam, perfecting his knowledge of German, French, Italian, Dutch, and Spanish.…”