Bush Library

A visit to the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Musuem in College Station, TX on the Texas A&M Campus
The presidential library tour starts here Set your audio wand to 1 and press play	George got all three of his dad's names at christening
Bush's State Car was a modified 1989 Lincoln Town Car with an F-250 pickup's 460 cubic inch EFI V-8 engine	President Bush's father, Prescott, was a US Senator and role model through his public service
Young Barbara Pierce (2nd from right) with mother Pauline and siblings James, Scott, & Martha	Grumman TBM Avenger hangs beyond photos & stories of Bush's days at Phillips Academy in Andover
Bush was assigned to Torpedo Squadron (VT-51) based on the USS San Jacinto	Bush named his Avengers after his girl back home, Barbara, Barbara II, and Barbara III
On September 2, 1944, Bush's plane was hit by anti-aircraft	fire but he completed the attack and bailed out over water
His two crewmen did not survive the crash	and Bush was later rescued by submarine USS Finback
Nice model of the USS San Jacinto (CVL-30)	Model of the Gato Class USS Finback (SS-230)
George Bush married Barbara Pierce on January 6, 1945 only weeks after his return home from the Pacific	He then went to Yale and captained the baseball team in the 1st & 2nd College World Series
A 1947 Studebaker similar to the one Bush drove from Connecticut to West Texas to success in the oil business	The Studebaker he drove in 1947 was red, this one is decidedly maroon!
Bush's 2nd child, Robin, died of leukemia at age 4 She is buried in the burial site outside the library	Bush won two terms to the House in 66 & 68 and lost 2 senate campaigns in 64 (Yarborough) & 70 (Bentsen)
Nixon appointed Bush Ambassador to the United Nations and served in 1971 & 1972	Founding UN member Taiwan was replaced by China in 1971 by UN Resolution despite Bush's efforts
President Ford appointed Bush to be Chief of the US Liaison Office in the People's Republic of China in 1974	The Liaison Office was not an official embassy so Bush was not a formal ambassador though he acted as one
Ford brought Bush back to become Director of Central Intelligence for a year but was replaced when Carter became President	Reagan won the Republican nomination over Bush in 1980 but then selected him as his running mate
When Reagan was shot March 30, 1981, Bush was rushed to Washington but refused to land on the South Lawn	Reagan & Bush won re-election over Mondale/Ferraro in 1984 in a landslide
Bush ran and won the 1988 Presidential election and became the first Vice President to do so since 1836	Bush chose little-known US Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana, favored by conservatives, as his running mate
Bush/Quayle defeated Dukakis/Bentsen by 426 to 111 in the Electoral College with 53.4% of the vote	George & Barbara Bush's inauguration ball tuxedo & dress, plus table arrangement
Gifts to President Bush while in office include this gold date palm tree from the Amir of the Kingdom of Bahrain	And this Mother of Pearl box from King Hussein I of Jordan
Photos of the Bush family relaxing at Camp David	A mockup of the President's office at Camp David
The Berlin Wall came down while Bush was in office	Graffiti was actively prohibited in East Germany
A disabled Sandinista AK-47 presented to Bush by the Nicarauan government	Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 1, 1990 & Bush formed a coalition of forces to push Iraq out
Operation Desert Storm started January 17, 1991 with air attacks and a ground invasion began February 24th	The US had much help from Muslim countries to repel the invaders from Kuwait
Tomahawk cruise missiles were first used to destroy command centers, power facilities & missile sites	Bush stopped the offensive after 100 hours to minimize casualties and to not occupy or rule over Iraq
Kuwaiti door (The Gate of Kuwait) given to Bush symbolizing he is one of the family	Bush entered his reelection bid in early 1992 with high approval ratings
But doubts of whether he ended the Gulf War properly and the economic recession reduced his popularity	Bush lost the 1992 election when Ross Perot bleeded off almost 19% of the popular vote
Bush's retired Fidelity, as Fidelity IV is now in operation	USS G.H.W. Bush (CVN-77) is the final Nimitz class carrier
Green area & pond outside the library with the President's future burial site beyond the trees far left
Side view of the presidential library while walking back to the parking lot
Sculpture of horses rushing over the toppled Berlin Wall	The Day the Wall Came Down
Remember to change your camera settings when outside	Especially around the circle of flags outside the entrance

George Bush Presidential Library - August 13th, 2010