[Lifeguarding]
Next to football, Dutch loved to swim. For six summers, 1927-1932, he was the lifeguard at Lowell Park, a 300-acre forest preserve along the Rock River and named for the poet James Russell Lowell. His pay ($15 for a seven day week, 10-12 hours a day) eventually helped cover some of his college costs. During that time, he rescued seventy-seven people from drowning in the river. [anecdote]

Nevertheless even for a dedicated lifeguard, Reagan admits to trying to get swimmers out a little early by throwing rocks into the river and claiming he saw a river rat.

In the mornings he would pick up hamburgers and other supplies for the park and then go on duty at the beach until swimming ended at night. "It was great," he later recalled, "There was no place to spend money. I could save twenty dollars a week and, of course, they fed me, and if it was too crowded, they brought food down to me." The hours were so long that Dutch didn't have time for girls, although they remembered him years later as the handsome lifeguard at the beach.

His experiences at Lowell Park accounted for two important elements in his life: horses [anecdote] and Hollywood [anecdote].

Photo credit: White House

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The first time Dutch ever appeared on the front page of a newspaper was August 3, 1928. He was 17 yrs old and had saved a man while lifeguarding at Lowell Park. It was after dark, and another rescuer had already failed. The Dixon Daily Telegraph reported:

It was not until after quite a struggle in the water that [James] Raider was brought to the shore. One of the members of the party who was said to have attempted to rescue him was forced to abandon the attempt when he too was in danger of being taken down. Raider responded to artificial respiration when he was carried to the band and was taken to his home.

The paper noted that "Lifeguard Ronald 'Dutch' Reagan" was "making his twenty-fifth rescue in the two seasons he has served at the popular beach." Jack Reagan was so impressed with his son's growing reputation as a life guard that he encouraged Dutch to notch a driftwood tree trunk for each rescue he performed. The tree trunk was eventually carried away in a flood.

For all of Dutch's heroics in rescuing this large number of people, he only once received a reward. Once, however, Gus Whiffleburg did give Dutch $10 (a sizable amount) for rescuing his dental plate from the river. It had come loose when Mr. Whiffleberg had dove into the water.




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The man who owned a lodge at the park had a horse he would let Dutch ride down the beach when the swimmers were out of the water. This love affair with horses and riding carried throughout Dutch's life (see the section on Hollywood and horses).



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While working as a lifeguard at Lowell Park during the summers, he met and befriended several wealthy people. One of these Lowell Park acquaintences, Sid Altschuler, from Kansas City, becomes large influence on Dutch. His friendship and advice played an essential role in providing Dutch stability after he graduated from college with no real prospects and after Margaret Cleaver had decided to marry someone she had met in Europe. According to Dutch, Altschuler provided "literally the first note of optimism I had heard about the state of the nation."

In the end, it was Altschuler who encouraged Dutch to follow his dream of becoming a radio sports announcer. Altschuler figured that since radio was a new and growing industry, it would need a smart. Altschuler encouraged Dutch to "take any job, even sweeping floors, just to get in" [to the radio station].




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