It was a very humble beginning.
When Ronald Reagan was born in tiny Tampico, Illinois, his father thought he was a chubby little kid who looked like a "fat little Dutchman". "Dutch" Reagan proved he could not be underestimated.
In 2004, on the weekend the former president died, News 8's Jim Mertens presented an hour-long special that told the Reagan story: from Tampico to Galesburg, Monmouth to Dixon, Eureka to Davenport, Des Moines to Hollywood, and Sacramento to Washington, DC.
This is a story that begins in an unassuming second floor Whiteside County building and takes you with him to the world stage.
And his legacy continues to be alive and well with Republicans revering him and communities honoring him.
We looked at all of this as we "Remembered Reagan" in 2004 on News 8.