The country continues to mourn the loss of former President George H.W. Bush, who passed away on Friday night at the age of 94. Bush, who served one term in the White House, had key historical moments he had to guide the world through.
He was President during some key moments in world history, including the collapse of the Soviet Union. Historian Doug Brinkley of Rice University told KTRH that was one moment that defined the Bush 41 Presidency.
“Add all of these up, and you’re looking at one of the very great presidencies for the handling of U.S. foreign affairs,” Brinkley said.
Former Houston Mayor Bill White remembers his old friend as a statesman, and says even when he was in Congress, Bush had a large network of national politicians he could call on at the drop of a hat.
“He always kept that national network, even when he was a Congressman from West Houston.
Bush was elected chairman of the Harris County Republican Party all the way back in 1963, and his son Neil told KTRH that position made him a Texan.
“He adopted and embraced a lot of the Texas culture from his experience having embraced Houston as his hometown,” Neil Bush stated.
That includes his beliefs in self-sufficiency. Grandson Pierce Bush says it was Texas that really allowed Bush to make his mark as a man even though he had a privileged upbringing.
“Texas singlehandedly gave him an opportunity to do all those things, and along with that, the confidence he had,” Pierce Bush explained.
And that is why he came back here after his days in the White House were over, living in Texas for a total of close to sixty years.