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Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and GE Open "Foundations of a Great Communicator" Gallery

The Foundations of a Great Communicator Gallery documents the invaluable apprenticeships in public speaking, political philosophy, and understanding the American people Ronald Reagan received from his work as president of the Screen Actors Guild to GE ambassador and host of General Electric Theater.

GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt said, "President Reagan's career path is a great American story. It is a story that affirms how special the man was and how special America is; where people have the opportunity to rise as far as their talents and industry will take them. He moved from one medium to another, from a radio studio to the silver screen and the Screen Actors Guild to a television studio to the assembly lines of GE plants to the California Governor's mansion to the Oval office. We are proud that GE was a part of his journey."

The theater features a five-minute film interviewing historians and colleagues on Reagan's learning curve as a public speaker. As President Reagan said, "Those GE tours became almost a post-graduate course in political science for me. I am seeing how Government really worked and affected people in the grass roots of America, not how it was taught in school." Throughout the Reagan Centennial year, this theater will also play a video, created by NBC Universal as a tribute to Ronald Reagan's 100 years.

The Foundations of a Communicator Gallery is one of 17 new galleries that are a part of the Reagan Museum's newly renovated 26,400 square feet of exhibit space. The new galleries, which integrate hundreds of artifacts and dozens of interactive displays, pay tribute to America's 40^th president and his accomplishments by capturing his patriotic spirit, his respect for individual liberty, his belief in global democracy and his support of economic opportunity. The renovated Museum galleries re-open to the public on Monday, February 7, 2011 - one day after President Reagan's centennial birthday.

From 1954 through 1962, Ronald Reagan worked for GE as host of a weekly television series, General Electric Theater, and traveled as a GE spokesman to 139 GE plants meeting more than 250,000 employees. As part of each episode in the series, Reagan highlighted the work of GE employees by promoting products like automatic dishwashers and electric can openers, products that were transforming American homes with the era's emerging technologies. Reagan punctuated each spot with GE's tag line at the time: "Progress is Our Most Important Product."

With a $15 million grant, GE is the presenting sponsor of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration, a -year-long celebration for the President's 100th birthday on February 6, 2011. As part of this partnership, NBC Universal and GE donated all 208 episodes of the General Electric Theater to the Ronald Reagan Foundation.

About Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation:

Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Centennial Celebration - is a historic -year-long celebration to commemorate the 100^th birthday of the 40^th President of the United States of America, Ronald Reagan. Visit www.reagancentennial.com to learn more. The mission of the Reagan Presidential Foundation is to preserve and promote his legacy of inspired freedom.

About GE:

GE (NYSE: GE) is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world's toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.

Press Contacts
Ronald Reagan Foundation
Melissa Giller, 805-522-2977
mgiller@reaganfoundation.org
or
GE
Megan Parker, 203-373-2020
megan.parker@ge.com