ONE OF A KIND LOVE AFFAIR:

Crowds Honor a President Who Believed in the Good (CHARLIE LeDUFF and JOHN M. BRODER, 6/08/04, NY Times)

Nancy Reagan pressed a cheek gently against her husband's coffin here on Monday in a silent gesture of personal grief as the nation began a five-day public farewell to former President Ronald Reagan.

Shortly before thousands of ordinary Americans walked past Mr. Reagan's coffin in mournful tribute to a leader who proudly shared their humble roots, Mrs. Reagan was joined by members of her family and close friends in a brief service in the marble-walled rotunda of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Mrs. Reagan, looking wan and frail, sat next to her daughter, Patti Davis, who visibly struggled to contain her emotions throughout the 15-minute service. The women held hands as the Rev. Dr. Michael Wenning, a retired senior pastor of the Bel Air Presbyterian Church, spoke of Mr. Reagan as one of the nation's great presidents, a forceful world leader and a servant of his God. The spare service included readings of the 23rd Psalm, a passage from Revelations and the Lord's Prayer.

Mrs. Reagan, who was married to Mr. Reagan for 52 years, whispered a small thank you to Dr. Wenning before standing and placing her hands on the mahogany coffin, her glasses in her hand, tears welling in her eyes. She touched the coffin with her cheek and then for a prolonged moment hugged her daughter, who was estranged from her father until 10 years ago, when he announced in a handwritten letter to the nation that he had Alzheimer's disease.