For years, author, speechwriter and Bainbridge College Professor Wynton Hall has published works about the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan, and recently toured his California ranch.

This past November, Hall received a special honor from the late president’s son, Michael Reagan—a private tour of Reagan’s beloved ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif.

“The Reagan Ranch is legendary,” said Hall. “During his eight years in office, President Reagan spent over a year there, and even many of his closest advisers never got to see it. It was his sanctuary. Its humble construction and minimalist amenities provide a breathtaking window into Ronald Reagan’s character.”

“You can learn a lot about a president by seeing the way he preferred to spend his private moments away from the White House,” said Hall. “It was an experience I will never forget.”

Hall’s invitation to tour the private ranch Nov. 21 was part of his involvement in a three-day event at which he spoke to 400 college students from across America, sponsored by the Reagan Ranch Foundation and Young America’s Foundation.

For that event at the Fess Parker Doubletree Resort in Santa Barbara, Hall also introduced fellow speaker, David Kim, chief executive officer of the major national Mexican restaurant chain Baja Fresh.

The Reagan Ranch, known as Rancho del Cielo, is privately owned and not open to the public. The 1,500-square-foot adobe structure has been preserved as the Reagans left it, down to the books on the shelves. The home has no air conditioning or heat, simple furnishings, and is set high in the California hills.

Hall, who teaches speech communication at Bainbridge College and is a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, has written or co-written four books, including 2007’s The Right Words; Great Republican Speeches that Shaped History. He is a a frequent guest on numerous television and nationally syndicated radio programs. His Web site is www.wyntonhall.com