Willie Nelson and his guitar "Trigger."

Upon graduating high school in 1950, country music legend Willie
Nelson ventured into the Air Force, embarking on a journey that
would unexpectedly shape his path.

Studio album released in 1973.

1974

Robert John Wagner Jr. is also known for starring in the
television shows It Takes a Thief (1968–1970), Switch
(1975–1978), and Hart to Hart (1979–1984). He later had
recurring roles on Two and a Half Men (2007–2008) and
NCIS (2010–2019).

On February 10, 2014, Shirley Temple Black, who as a child in the
1930s became one of Hollywood’s most successful stars, died at
her Woodside, California, home at age 85.

The plucky, curly-haired performer sang, danced and acted in
dozens of films by the time she was a teen; as an adult, she
gave up making movies and served as a U.S. diplomat
under four presidents.

1935

John and Nellie Reagan with their sons, Neil and Ronald.

 
During his WHO radio career, Reagan “announced” Chicago Cubs baseball games in the Des Moines studio by reading a pitch-by-pitch account off the wire as if he were actually at
the game.  He was so skillful that some listeners believed he actually was at the game!

Before his years of Hollywood stardom, and long before
Washington, Ronald Reagan was born in a small town in
northwestern Illinois.

Reagan made the sobering announcement that he had
Alzheimer’s disease, which would end his public career.

He died on June 5, 2004, at the age of 93.

CARLATA BRADLEY

 
1952

Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996)

Gene Kelly starred in, choreographed, and, with Stanley Donen,
co-directed some of the most well-regarded musical films of the
1940s and 1950s.

Kelly’s health declined steadily in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In July 1994, he suffered a stroke and stayed in Ronald Reagan
UCLA Medical Center hospital for seven weeks. In early 1995, he
had another stroke which made him severely disabled. Kelly died
on February 2, 1996.

1949