New Reagan book includes award-winning Acorn photo

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn SAYING GOODBYE—Mourners pay their respects to former President Ronald Reagan while his body lay in repose in the rotunda of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley on Monday. After spending months researching the photo archives at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, a local author has completed a book which uses photos to detail the life of President Ronald Reagan.

"Historic Photos of Ronald Reagan," by Jay Whitney of Westlake Village, is a 216page review of Reagan's life that features 200 large-format photos, introductions and captions.

"It was basically a huge research project," Whitney said. "I used all of their resources and just dug through all these photos. I hunted through thousands of them."

The book includes an awardwinning picture taken by Acorn photographer Michael Coons.

Coons' photo was taken at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley during the former president's June 2004 funeral. Reagan's casket, covered in an American flag, is surrounded by some of the thousands of people who came to pay their respects. Coons used a slow shutter speed to blur the mourners, leaving the flagdraped casket clear and vivid.

"The funeral was probably the largest news event going on in the country at the time," Coons said. "I wanted to make anyone who saw the photo feel like they were part of it."

There were so many photographers and journalists during the day that Coons returned to the Reagan Library at midnight to take the photo.

"There were still huge lines of people all throughout the night," Coons said. "But I was able to get in and spend 10 minutes upstairs, where during the day I couldn't. I wanted a different angle to tell the story, to show people something different from what all the other photographers were shooting."

The picture originally appeared in The Acorn the week of the funeral, on June 10, 2004. The California Newspapers Publishers Association recognized the photo with an honorable mention for breaking news in 2004.

"The Acorn photography staff has always had a keen eye for the essence of news," said Acorn Managing Editor John Loesing.

Whitney chose just one photo from the funeral.

"I remembered the Acorn photo from almost five years ago," Whitney said. "I loved that photo,the kinetic blurring of the crowd circling the casket. I wanted it because most of the country has never seen it before. In addition to historic, I sought rare or largely unseen photographs. Everyone has seen the Washington funeral photos.

"He (Reagan) would have liked it I think."

Coons, who is based in Simi Valley, has been taking photos for newspapers and magazines for 14 years. This is his first photo to appear in a book, and Coons said he was grateful to Whitney for selecting his shot out of the many that were considered.

"So many people said they were really touched by the photo. I've never had a photo with such an emotional connection," Coons said. "I've done a lot of news and sports that might have been important to the subjects but not to the general public like this one was."

Whitney has worked as a book editor for 25 years, including 15 at Thomson-Reuters. The Reagan book is the fifth in Turner Publishing's presidents series, which includes Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Whitney lives in Westlake Village with his wife, Cathy. They have two grown daughters.