Surprise, y’all
With senior Bush recovering, his son ably steps in at literacy event
Neither President George H.W. Bush nor comedian Jim Gaffigan could attend “A Celebration of Reading” author luncheon. But the soldout program at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts shouldered on.
Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation organizers wrangled an equally impressive standin who proved to be both presidential and comedic: George W. Bush.
Gaffigan, a stand-up comedian and author, canceled at the last minute because of a family emergency. Caterer Jackson Hicks’ strawberry shortcake, an annual favorite, was also missed.
Political writer and commentator David
Brooks, who initially declined to appear, was persuaded by his fiancée, a one-time Bayou City resident, to step up to the plate as well.
It was during an earlier private lunch gathering at
Terri and John Haven’s River Oaks home that chair Neil Bush revealed the new lineup and gave a tearful update on his father’s health — George H.W. Bush had been readmitted to the hospital after a mild bout of pneumonia.
“You can take my parents off of your worry list,” he said, though his voice cracked. “My dad’s always been a cup-halffull kind of guy. Your true nature comes out as you get older. No matter what’s going on with him healthwise, he’s always thinking of the other guy.”
Afterward, he posed a single question to Brooks,
Sue Grafton and Bill Browder about their respective literary careers. Then the Havens invited the group to bring their lavender lemonades to the backyard for a tour of their 16th-century French chapel, stationed just above the bayou. Four hours later, Lauren Bush Lauren was joined downtown by her brother, Pierce Bush, former first lady
Barbara Bush and more than 2,000 ticket-holders. When Neil’s wife, Maria Bush, introduced surprise guest George W. Bush, the crowd inside Sarofim Hall went wild.
“Neil goes by and reads to Dad every day,” the former president said from the stage. “I’d do it, but I’d just mangle the English language.”
He transitioned to his love of painting and respect for military veterans.
This is in honor of them, he explained before reading the introduction from his third book, “Portraits of Courage.”
“I said (to my first art instructor), ‘There’s a Rembrandt stuck inside this body. Your job is to liberate him,’ ” he narrated. Brooks spoke second. “I have to follow a Bush in Houston? Great,” he joked.
He endeared himself to the locals by professing his love of H-E-B and Chick-fil-A. “Houston is such a wonderful city. I can’t wait for you to finish it.”
Brooks also dove into the inspiration behind his 2015 book, “The Road to Character,” which explores humility, transcendence and people who are “powerfully motivated toward righteousness.”
Next, murder-mystery novelist Grafton shared the inspiration for her popular Kinsey Millhone alphabet series: It struck her after she dreamed of ways to kill her ex-husband.
Browder, an outspoken Vladimir Putin critic, closed the show with commentary on “Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder and One Man’s Fight for Justice.” The book chronicles Browder’s own crusade against the Russian government following the wrongful death of his attorney, Sergei Magnitsky.
Then the Westfield High School theater department lightened the mood with a performance of “A Brand New Day” from “The Wiz.”
Neil and Maria Bush’s announcement that more than $2.3 million had been raised — and confirmation of Gaffigan for the 2018 “A Celebration of Reading,” slated for April 19 — lifted spirits further.
Select friends, family members and sponsors lingered for dinner onstage or in the mezzanine, where a frenzied book swap for signed titles from the authors ensued.
About 10 p.m., only the Bush clan and Dr.
Julie Baker Finck, the foundation’s president, remained. The group paused for an emotional embrace and photos before departing for family time.