Town embraces Bush’s legacy
Historical Society hosts exhibit in late leader’s honor
GREENWICH — As President George H.W. Bush lies in state in Washington, D.C., his legacy and ties to Greenwich will be commemorated in classrooms, exhibits and the pews of his former church.
The Greenwich Historical Society has mounted an exhibit devoted to the 41st president, who spent his formative years in Greenwich, and where he met his future wife at the Round Hill Country Club.
A collection of Bush memorabilia, including photos, news stories and event programs, are on display through Friday at the historical society’s museum gallery at 47 Strickland Road, Cos Cob. The special Bush exhibit is free and open to the public, while admission will still be charged for the other historical society exhibits.
Greenwich Country Day School, where the president attended school and went to class by limousine, is also remembering its most famous alumnus with an assembly at 8 a.m. Wednesday in which Bush’s life and legacy will be discussed.
“At GCDS, we also look back to the time when as a young student he showed so
much promise,” the school administration said in a statement.
When GCDS Headmaster Adam Rohdie met with Bush at his home in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 2009, the former president told him about the importance of community service and “giving back.”
“At GCDS, we believe that everything we do is in an effort to build character, and when talking with parents, I often think back to that conversation and President George H.W. Bush’s words about the importance of learning strong values at an early age,” Rohdie said. “Today we honor his commitment to leadership through service and his optimistic determination to make the world a better place for the next generation.”
At Christ Church in Greenwich, where Bush and his family were congregants, the former president will be mentioned in the service and honored this Sunday, the church administration said.
Greenwich High School
will observe a moment of silence Wednesday, a national day of mourning, in the former president’s memory. Educators and students will be remembering Bush’s place in history and what he stood for in classroom discussions, according to to Michael Antonaccio, the communications specialist for Greenwich Public Schools.
At the Greenwich Public Library, a row of books on Bush and his life are available for review in the lobby
of the main branch. The books include a compilation of Bush’s letters, a recent biography by Jon Meacham and a family memoir about George and Barbara Bush by his grandchildren. Meacham will speak at the former president’s funeral service Wednesday in Washington. He also spoke at Barbara Bush’s funeral in April.
Bush died Friday at the age of 94. His wife predeceased him about eight months before at the age of 92.
The former president because acquainted with public service at an early age,
as his father, Prescott Bush, served as moderator of the Representative Town Meeting in Greenwich. The family resided at a 1903 Victorian house at 15 Grove Lane with a wraparound porch.
Bush wrote of his childhood years and his parents: “They were our biggest boosters, always there when we needed them. They believed in an old-fashioned way of bringing up a family — generous measures of both love and discipline.”
Bush stood out at a young age. “One day, Bush will become a leader,” his fifthgrade teacher wrote.
At a Christmas dance at the Round Hill Club, he met a 16-year-old boardingschool student from Rye, N.Y., the former Barbara Pierce. The two married while Bush was serving in the U.S. Navy.
Bush was a regular visitor to his old hometown. When he was vice president in 1986, when he flew in for a rally at Greenwich High School. He attended the funeral for his brother, Prescott Bush Jr., at Christ Church in 2010.
The state funeral will be held Wednesday in Washington, and Bush will be interred in Texas on Thursday.