x
Breaking News
More () »

Pres. Bush 41 honored by his childhood hometown of Greenwich

GREENWICH — Given that President George Herbert Walker Bush had such a strong presence in Greenwich during his youth, the Greenwich Historical Society has...

GREENWICH -- Given that President George Herbert Walker Bush had such a strong presence in Greenwich during his youth, the Greenwich Historical Society has quickly pulled together Bush materials for public viewing following his death last week.

Much of what makes up the Greenwich Historical Society's tribute to President Bush 41 was donated by friends and his older brother, Prescott.

"Most of these items relate to his inauguration," said Christopher Shields. Curator of Library and Archives for the Greenwich Historical Society.

"We have some wonderful tickets, some programs, menus.

There’s also a newspaper article, published the day before the inauguration, which talked, in part, about Greenwich residents taking the train to the inauguration, but one former Greenwich power couple did not.

"It says others will have more personalized means of getting there, however. Like real estate mogul Donald Trump and his wife, Ivana, who, according to a Trump spokesman, will be winging down on their private jet," said Shields, reading from the Greenwich News.

And, this public display includes a special letter, dated Sept. 9, 1991, on White House stationery, from President Bush, who was honoring those from Greenwich, who served during operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield.

"Those who made their stand in the Persian Gulf and those who provided support from bases here at home at around the world," said Shields, reading part of the letter.

President Bush 41 attended the Greenwich Country Day School.

"He’s right here," said Shields pointing to a photo from the 1933-34 school year. "And, whenever I show that to people, they are like 'oh yeah I can see it,'"

Upstairs, in the special exhibitions gallery, there’s even more valuable Bush memorabilia.

Among the items: a sealed envelope containing the ballots of the Connecticut electors in the 1988 presidential election.

"We know how much of an impact and how important the electoral college is in determining who becomes president," Shields says. "So, to have something like this kind of material from President Bush is very special."

And, there is an invitation to the inaugural parade.

"In 1989, that was the 200th anniversary of the first inauguration," Shields noted.

The Bush display will be available for viewing, free of charge, through next week.

Before You Leave, Check This Out