Yorba Linda History


Historic Documents

Search for specific termsBrowse alphabetical list of titlesBrowse by subject category

close this bookRichard Nixon Collection
View the documentRichard Nixon is Winning Orator
Yorba Linda Star March 29 1929 page 1
View the documentCongressman Tells Y. L. Audience How Communist Spy Ring Works
Yorba Linda Star October 8 1948 page 1
View the documentYorba Linda Does Her Little Part in Electing Favorite Son
Yorba Linda Star November 10 1950 page 1
View the documentYorba Linda Signally Honored by Visit of Favorite Son
Yorba Linda Star October 31 1952 page 1
View the documentResponsibility of Government Passes into Republican Hands as Voters Approve Ike and Dick
Yorba Linda Star November 10 1952 page 1
View the documentVice-President's Visit to Yorba Linda Enjoyed by Large Crowd
Yorba Linda Star November 4 1954 page 1
View the documentMany Yorba Lindans, Many Guests Pay Tribute to the Vice President
Yorba Linda Star January 15 1959 page 1
View the documentBig day for Yorba Lindans when the vice-president visits
Yorba Linda Star June 18 1959 page 1
View the documentYorba Linda leads nation with first “Nixon for President” Club
Yorba Linda Star September 3 1959 page 1
View the documentHome town gives Nixon big vote
Yorba Linda Star November 10 1960 page 1
View the documentBrown elected; Rafferty wins
Yorba Linda Star November 14 1962 page 1
View the documentCity Jubilant over Nixon victory
1968 page 1
View the documentForm committee to preserve Nixon birthplace
Yorba Linda Star November 20 1968
View the documentNorth Hollywood man pays $250 for president-elect Nixon's hat
Yorba Linda Star November 20 1968 page 1
View the documentNixon Birthplace Foundation organized here
Yorba Linda Star December 4 1968 page 1
View the documentDedication on President's birthday
Yorba Linda Star January 12 1972 page 1
View the documentNixon wins big in birthplace city
Yorba Linda Star November 15 1972 page 1
View the documentNixon Impeachment Rally Staged At Local Park
by Julia Carey,
Yorba Linda Star November 7 1973 page 1
View the documentResidents saddened by Nixon resignation
by Julia Carey,
Yorba Linda Star August 14 1974 page 1
View the document10-year effort ends with sale of Nixon home
by Margaret Anderson,
Yorba Linda Star July 15 1978 page 1
View the documentArchives Find Yorba Linda Home
by Janette Neumann,
Yorba Linda Star December 10 1987 page 1
View the documentNixon library site deemed historic by commission
Yorba Linda Star June 9 1988 page 3
View the documentLibrary groundbreaking date set
by Janette Neumann,
Yorba Linda Star July 21 1988 page 1
View the documentNixon Library to break ground
by Janette Neumann,
Yorba Linda Star December 1 1988 page 1
View the documentGround broken for Nixon library
by Janette Neumann,
Yorba Linda Star December 8 1988 page 1
View the documentFanfare greets Nixon Library
by Bruce Bailey,
Yorba Linda Star July 26 1990 page 1
View the document5,000 pay their respects to former first lady
Yorba Linda Star July 1 1993
View the documentTime for tears, celebration
by Bruce Bailey,
Yorba Linda Star July 1 1993 page 1
View the documentMan of vision, man of history
by David Montero,
Yorba Linda Star April 28 1994 page 3
View the documentResidents cherish Nixon's ties to city
by Bruce Bailey,
Yorba Linda Star April 28 1994 page 1

Time for tears, celebration

by Bruce Bailey,
Yorba Linda Star July 1 1993 page 1   Open this page in a new window

Yorba Linda embraced one of its native sons and shared his sorrow as former President Nixon said farewell to his wife of 53 years, Thelma Catherine “Pat” Ryan Nixon.

Mrs. Nixon, nicknamed Pat by her father because she was born just before St. Patrick's Day, was buried Saturday on the grounds of the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace next to her beloved rose garden.

The 81-year-old former first lady, died of lung cancer June 22 in her home in Park Ridge, N.J.

To the strains of “My Country `Tis of Thee,” 500 guests looked on under an overcast sky, as a Marine honor guard slowly carried Mrs. Nixon's casket to the amphitheater.

The Rev. Billy Graham opened the ceremony saying, “It's a time for tears and a time for celebration.

“Pat Nixon's body lies in that casket but she is in heaven,” Graham said.

Others praised Mrs. Nixon for her earthly deeds.

Retired US Air Force Lt. Gen. James Hughes, a former aide to Nixon, said Mrs. Nixon had “limitless stamina.”

And during the 1956 visit to Caracas, Venezuela, Mrs. Nixon's inner strength and grace under fire carried the day when rioters pelted their motorcade with rocks, Hughes said.

Cynthia Hardin Milligan, daughter of Nixon's agriculture secretary, Clifford Milligan, described the former first lady as “a warm and natural person.”

“She had a youthful spirit and a great sense of adventure,” Milligan said.

Former US Sen. George McGovern who wasn't one of the speakers, said as he filed in to his seat, “Pat withstood the pressures of public life better than anyone I've known.”

McGovern was the 1972 Democratic presidential nominee. He lost to former President Nixon that November, carrying only one state and the District of Columbia.

California Gov. Pete Wilson spoke of Mrs. Nixon's grace and good humor.

“She had a strong personality and vigorous spirit contained in a delicate frame,” Wilson said.

US Sen. Robert Dole, R-Kansas, said, “Everybody loved Pat Nixon. She reached out to those who were often overlooked.”

Other guests included Bob Hope, Moroccan Ambassador Mohamed Benaissa, Neil Bush, representing former President George Bush, former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford and their wives, John B. Connally III, representing the Connally family, Mr. & Mrs. Buddy Ebsen, retired Gen. Alexander Haig, U.S. Rep Jay Kim, Clara Jane Nixon, Henry Kissinger, Tommy Lasorda and Mr. And Mrs. Carl Karcher.

Representing the city were City Manager Arthur Simonian, Assistant City Manager David Gruchow, Mayor John Gullixson, Councilman Henry Wedaa and Councilwoman Barbara Kiley.

Graham said Mrs. Nixon's most-used phrase, “Onward and upward,” steeled her husband to endure his darkest days during Watergate.

“Few women in public life have suffered as she has suffered, and done it with such grace. In all the years I knew her, I never heard her say anything unkind about anyone,” Graham said.

to previous section to next section

Top of page