Reagan's legacy topic of White House forum

WASHINGTON, June 10 (UPI) -- The Reagan administration conducted one final White House staff meeting Thursday as top U.S. officials gathered to recall his accomplishments.

More than 100 former aides met at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to discuss Ronald Reagan's life and legacy. The 40th president died Saturday at age 93.

Eldest son Michael Reagan made a surprise appearance at the meeting.

"I am the luckiest member of the family," he said, "because I was the one chosen to be a Reagan," having been adopted in 1945 by Reagan and his first wife, actress Jane Wyman.

"He gave me a great name and a great home," said Reagan, who is host of a national radio talk show and heir to his father's political legacy.

Others giving brief remarks included former Attorney General Edwin Meese and former Interior Secretary William Clark, Reagan aides from the early days of his first term as California's governor; former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz; former Reagan domestic policy adviser Martin Anderson; Ken Duberstein, the final Reagan White House chief of staff; and author Peggy Noonan, who penned many of the late president's most memorable speeches.

Most of those in attendance were members of the Reagan alumni association, which helped organize the program.