The President. Well, listen, this is really a welcome, and I want to thank you very much. If you didn't recognize him, that gentleman coming down the steps with me was your Senator Kasten from Wisconsin. And this is quite a welcome.
I saw a sign out there—"Where's Nancy?" Well, I have to tell you a little about First Ladies. They don't really—not supposed to work for the Government. They're not on salary or anything. But they find out that they do have a lot of things that they have to do. And that's true of her. And, you know, she's been working very hard on the drug programs to make sure that more young people in our country don't become victims of drugs. And I'm very proud of her for doing that. So, I'll have to say hello for her.
There aren't any words to tell you how much I appreciate your all coming out here for a welcome of this kind. I know you'd rather be in school.
Audience. No-o-o!
The President. [Laughter] You wouldn't? [Laughter]
Audience. No-o-o!
The President. All right.
Well, I understand now that some of your folks are waiting downtown for me to make a speech down there, and I'll have to get going.
Audience. No!
The President. But I also want to tell you something that I'll have to tell them again, too, when I get down there. When I was your size, your age, one of the things I wore most of all were some bib overalls that said,
"Oshkosh, B'gosh."
Audience. Yea!
The President. So, now, finally, I'm going to be in the place where they came from-those overalls.
Audience. Yea!
The President. But I was very happy in those days—in wearing them.
And, again, I just want to thank you all. It's great to see you, and wish we could spend more time here, but the Senator and I have to go downtown now.
Thank you all. God bless you.
Audience. Yea!
Note: The President spoke at 1:18 p.m. to schoolchildren gathered at Wittman Field.
Ronald Reagan, Remarks on Arrival in Oshkosh, Wisconsin Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/260014