Aggies Mourn President George H.W. Bush

George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States and the father of the 43rd, died Friday night at his home in Houston. He was 94.

Although he did not attend Texas A&M, he was a regular visitor to campus and frequently expressed his great affinity for the university and for Texas Aggies. He is the namesake of several Texas A&M institutions and landmarks, including the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, the Bush School of Government and Public Service, and George Bush Drive, a College Station street that borders the southern edge of the A&M campus.

"President George H.W. Bush was a noble leader, a selfless servant and a man of character," said Porter S. Garner III '79, President and CEO of The Association of Former Students. "He both admired and shared the values of Texas A&M and was always warmly welcomed to Aggieland. I greatly enjoyed my limited interactions with him and will remember fondly his kindness, humility and wit. He may have graduated from Yale, but without a doubt, he loved Texas A&M and was a great Texas Aggie.”

The former president, diplomat, CIA director and U.S. Navy aviator died less than eight months after his wife of 73 years, Barbara Pierce Bush.

Both the former president and the former first lady will be honored as part of the 2019 Aggie Muster. Their names will be included on the 2019 Worldwide Roll Call, and both will be called at the campus Muster ceremony. Local Muster organizers are also encouraged to include both names on their local roll calls.

Although Barbara Bush passed away before the 2018 Muster, the family elected to defer her recognition at Aggie Muster to 2019, when loved ones will have the opportunity to participate. It is common for families to elect to defer when a death occurs immediately before the annual Muster.

Information related to the former president's state funeral in Washington, D.C., will be posted at www.georgehwbush.com.

On Thursday, Dec. 6, the former president’s casket will arrive in College Station by train, accompanied by Bush family members and close friends. The train will unload at the railroad crossing at John Kimbrough Boulevard and Wellborn Road. The funeral procession will travel on George Bush Drive toward the Bush Library Complex.  Texas A&M students, faculty and staff, and the community are invited to view the procession.

Some areas of campus will be closed in the days leading up to the burial. All of campus will be closed on the day of the burial, including The Association of Former Students, 

The former president's burial at the Bush Library on Thursday, Dec. 6, will be a private event and the interment ceremony will be closed to public viewing.

Official communications from Texas A&M University regarding impacts to campus will come from Texas A&M University, on honoring41.tamu.edu, university social channels, and at Texas A&M Today.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Bush School of Government and Public Service (bush.tamu.edu).