Tears and memories flowed as thousands of Americans slowly moved past the flag-draped casket of the nation’s 40th president.

  Mourners traveled hundreds of miles to Simi Valley and waited for up to three hours to pay their respects to Ronald Reagan. They were shuttled up the hill in chartered busses from a nearby college to the hilltop presidential library.
    Flags flew at half-staff under cool, overcast skies when the library rotunda doors opened to the public at noon after a brief family service.
    The former president died of pneumonia Saturday after a 10-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
    Sad and tearful well-wishers, many of them children, walked in silence along the outside wall and saluted, whispered a prayer or made the sign of the cross once inside the small rotunda. Library officials estimated approximately 2,000 people per hour will view the mahogany casket as Reagan’s body lies in repose through 6 p.m. today.
    The casket was flanked by a military honor guard that stood watch over the former president’s body. A member of each military branch stood at rigid attention, dressed in crisp dress uniforms with shiny buttons, bayonets at their side.
    Several Santa Clarita city officials witnessed the quiet precision of change of the military honor guard.
    Mayor Bob Keller said the moving experience was very difficult and sad.
    “It’s a good feeling to see American citizens coming out to pay their respects,” Keller said.
    City Council member Laurene Weste said it was an example of the superior respect the military had for their commanding officer.
    Weste said her father, Rudolf Friml, worked with Reagan as music supervisor at Universal and Warner Bros. studios.
    “He always said ‘Ronald Reagan was a regular American guy,’” Weste said. “(Reagan) knew who he was and never flinched from being committed to the American people. He was the people’s president.”
    City Manager Ken Pulskamp described Reagan as a very special president whose speeches were full of optimism.

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