The United States mourned the death of the 41st President of the United States, George H.W. Bush, on Friday, November 30, 2018. Bush died at age 94 after suffering from Parkinson’s. He was the longest living president in US history. Bush’s death, late Friday at his home in Houston, was announced by his son and fellow Republican, former President George W. Bush.

President George H.W. Bush was buried on Thursday, December 6, 2018, next to his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush, at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas.  

“He was the kind of politician we don’t see as much anymore. He wasn’t particularly ideological, but he was very pragmatic and practical and was dedicated to doing the right thing by his country,” Upper School history teacher, Dan Greenstone said.

Bush was president during a time of instability in the United States. He was president during the time when the US experienced the worst oil spill in US history, as well as during the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and the Cold War era.

Before his presidency, Bush was the first Republican congressman elected in Houston. He became the Ambassador to United Nations under President Richard Nixon, chairman of the Republican National Committee, Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), Vice President of the United States, and—finally—President of the United States. While in office, he successfully helped pass the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA), that has changed the world for many people today, as well as the successful prosecution of the war to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation.  

Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump—and their respective wives—all attended Bush’s funeral—marking the first time that every living president has gathered together since Trump’s Inauguration.

“I think George H.W. Bush was a fascinating president who was more important than most people realize. He managed the transition from the Cold War to the post-Cold War era with tremendous skill,” Greenstone said.

`“I was pretty sad when I heard about it, even though I was born in his son’s era.” sophomore Elliot Landolt said, “I think he was a president who was well respected by many, and I have great respect for the man.”