Moderated discussion led by former President’s son starts 41@100 celebrations

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – The George H.W. Bush 100th Birthday Celebration kicked off Tuesday with a panel at the Bush School of Government and Public Service.

This was just the first piece of a weeklong event and it brought some high profile leaders and members of the Bush family.

In a discussion moderated by the late president’s son, Jeb Bush, many stories were shared about his parents and he highlighted not only the celebration for his father on Thursday but also his late mother, Barbara Bush, whose 99th birthday was on Sunday.

Jeb Bush led a conversation between long-time Chief of Staff to the late president and former interim Dean for the Bush School, Andrew Card, and former U.S. Secretary of Defense and 22nd Texas A&M President Robert Gates as they talked about the uniqueness of the Bush 41 era.

“There were some pretty strong debates within the administration over many issues in foreign policy, but they never got outside the White House, and of all the administrations I’ve never seen one more leakproof than the Bush 41 White House,” Gates said.

Card also shared stories of the former president he knew. Card said he maintained a loving home inside the White House, used comedy to connect with citizens and led with empathy.

“George H.W. Bush was such a remarkable man. He was probably the most sharing and caring president in the history of the country. He had great empathy for everyone who was a leader. He had great empathy for people who had to implement presidential decisions. And he actually did everything with a conscience,” Card said.

The panel not only kicked of a week of celebrating the late president but gave attendees an insight into the person that Bush was. This came with many laughs from the crowd but also serious moments as the leaders recalled crucial moments throughout the presidency.

“The Bush White House was full of laughter. He had a wonderful sense of humor,” Gates said. “When it became clear we were going to war against Iraq, that all disappeared. He almost from day one seemed visibly to take on the burden of what he was going to order these young men out to do.”

Coming back to the Bush School not only as a colleague but also as the former interim dean, Card said it proved just how strong the Bush legacy is.

“President Bush gave the team credit, he didn’t take enough of the credit for himself sometimes but you know what, his humility actually ended up winning out because it showed us the path to noble public service and the Bush School of Government and Public Service is the living legacy of President Bush,” Card said.

Panels continue on Wednesday before the community’s 100th Birthday Celebration on Thursday. This event is open to the community with RSVPs and will conclude the celebration with a concert by Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen. A full breakdown of events can be found here. RSVP is free but required for event attendance Thursday.