God, Guts, and Sons

Ron Reagan, Magnolia resident and son of President Ronald Reagan, from his new memoir My Father at 100

Photo: Courtesy Ron Reagan

"UPON RETURNING FROM church the day of my refusal to attend, Dad took another pass at his apostate son—to no avail. He next adopted a strategy of lying low, acknowledging my transgression with little more than the occasional wistful glance, allowing time for the awful reality of my decision to weigh on me. Then, when he reckoned I’d twisted in the icy, shrieking void of godlessness long enough, he brought in a ringer. I was informed one otherwise normal afternoon that [pastor Donn Moomaw] would be dropping by our house to have a chat with me."