Past opinions provide perspective

Looking Back reviews opinions published in The Spokesman-Review during this week in history

Ike’s death. April 1, 1969

An editorial marked the death of former President Eisenhower.

“It is said that Gen. Eisenhower, like Sir Winston Churchill, planned many of the details of his own funeral. It is noteworthy that in both cases the men chose to be buried in a simple country setting near the homes of their youth.

“Gen. Eisenhower, perhaps as much as any man in history, walked with captains and kings. He was given a castle in Scotland. A major Canadian mountain was named for him. He was the intimate of virtually all of the world’s great leaders at one of the most momentous times in world history.

“Had he been a Englishman, he would have been assured of a place in Westminster Abbey. Had he been a Frenchman, he would most likely have had a place in the Pantheon. Had he cared for it, he could undoubtedly have been entombed, as was U.S. Grant, in a mausoleum in New York City.

“He chose the small, simple community in which he grew up to be the place in which he and his family would symbolically rest forever. … Abilene is the epitome of simplicity and unpretentiousness, and in a great man the choice of that place is indicative of his character.”

Reagan shot. April 1, 1981

An S-R editorial praised President Reagan’s recovery from being shot just two days earlier.

“The president’s rapid recovery should settle once and for all the argument that he is too old for the strenuous job of president. Doctors said Reagan was an excellent physical specimen, physiologically younger than his years. He never was in danger and came through the ordeal without a hitch.

“The age issue is irrelevant. Reagan resumed his duties from the hospital less than 24 hours after suffering his wound. Persons half his age might be unable to do as much. In addition to the obvious personal benefits, the president’s rapid bounce-back has had soothing psychological benefits for the American people. It is reassuring to know our chief executive is as physically and mentally tough as the policies he advocates.

“This gives him credibility. There is no doubt now that he can endure a crisis, whether it be of a national or personal nature.”

Coach Few leaving? March 31, 2003

An editorial worried about UCLA luring away Gonzaga basketball coach Mark Few.

“When asked before the NCAA tournament about coaching elsewhere next year, Few said: ‘When it’s all over and done, when we play our last game and the buzzer goes off, good luck tracking me down to ask that question again. I’ll be on a river in Montana somewhere.’

“He’s turned down more money and bigger places before. In the last two years, he’s drawn varying degrees of interest from Washington, New Mexico, Fresno State, South Carolina, Notre Dame and Wisconsin. This year, it might be hard to reject a UCLA offer that could be as much as $1.2 million per year. Who could say no to that and a chance to coach on a campus where legends like John Wooden and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once roamed?

“Keep your fingers crossed.”