Description:

Reagan Ronald 1911 - 2004

President Reagan sends a warm response to "Hup," the woman whose husband gave Reagan his first job after college, and with whom Reagan continued to correspond until her life ended at the age of 101.

Autograph letter signed, "Dutch," 1p, 6.25" x 4.25" card engraved with Presidential Seal, October 4, [1993], n.p. Addressed to "Hup" [Lydia Hupfer MacArthur]. Ever so slight marginal soiling and wear. Ink blur to the "N" in Nancy. Fine condition.

In full: "Nancy & I have your letter, & photos and news story and we like them all. It was wonderful hearing from you and seeing pictures of you. You and I have such warm memories of our years together and of Pete and how much he meant to all of us. / Nancy sends her love and so do I. / Warmest regard. Dutch"

Mrs. Peter MacArthur was 100-year-old Lydia Hupfer "Hup" McArthur (1893-1995), widow of the man who had given Reagan his first job after college. Peter MacArthur (1885-1948) was the program director at radio station WOC in Davenport, Iowa, which shared its frequency with WHO Des Moines. In 1932, MacArthur gave 21-year-old recent Eureka College grad Ronald "Dutch" Reagan a sports announcer's job at WOC. In 1937, sportscaster Reagan went to the Chicago Cubs spring training camp in southern California to do play-by-play for WHO Des Moines. Impressed by his confidence and good looks, an agent arranged a screen test for the 26-year-old sports announcer at Warner Bros. Reagan signed a seven-year contract and moved to California. But he never forgot Pete and Hup MacArthur whom he affectionately called "Ma" and "Pa" ("Maw & Paw," "Mom & Pop"). He sent Christmas cards and letters to them on a regular basis from 1938 until 1948 when Pete died, continuing to correspond with Hup until she died on January 27, 1995, at 101.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. ***PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SHIPMENT TO BE SENT TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN THE ONE YOU HAVE ON FILE WITH INVALUABLE, YOU WILL NEED TO INFORM US OF THIS AS SOON AS PAYMENT IS SUBMITTED FOR YOUR WINNINGS*** Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 20% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000