discretionary spending. Afterward, Alzheimer's disease hindered Reagan's physical and mental capacities. He died at his home in Los Angeles in 2004. His presidency constituted the Reagan era, and he is considered a prominent conservative figure in the United States. Evaluations of his presidency among historians and scholars tend to place him among the upper tier of American presidents. Early life Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in a commercial building in Tampico, Illinois, as the younger son of Nelle Clyde Wilson and Jack Reagan. Nelle was committed to the Disciples of Christ, which supported the Social Gospel. She led prayer meetings and ran mid-week prayers at her church when the pastor was out of town. Reagan credited her spiritual influence and he became a Christian. According to Stephen Vaughn, Reagan's values came from his pastor, and the First Christian Church's religious, economic and social positions "coincided with the words, if not the beliefs of the latter-day Reagan". Jack strongly opposed the Ku Klux Klan, racism, and bigotry. Neil was Reagan's older brother. Jack was focused on making money to take care of the family, but his alcoholism complicated his ability to do so. Reagan's family briefly lived in Chicago, Galesburg, and Monmouth before returning to Tampico. In 1920, Reagan and his family settled in the city of Dixon, which he called his hometown. They lived in a house near the H. C. Pitney Variety Store Building. In Dixon, Reagan attended Dixon High School, where he developed interests in drama and football. His first job involved working as a lifeguard at the Rock River in Lowell Park. In 1928, Reagan attended Eureka College with Nelle's approval on religious grounds. He was a mediocre student that participated in sports, drama, and campus politics. He was also elected student body president and joined a student strike that resulted in the college president's resignation. When Reagan's college football team stayed at a hotel that would not allow two black teammates to stay there, he invited them to his parents' home nearby in Dixon and his parents welcomed them. His parents' stance on racial questions were seemingly unusual when racial segregation was common in many Midwestern communities. Reagan himself had grown up with very few black Americans in Dixon, and he was unaware of a race problem. In 1932, Reagan obtanied a bachelor of arts degree in economics and sociology. Entertainment career