George H.W. Bush Presidential Museum — College Station, Texas
What is It — Texas has many landmarks for families to enjoy. One interesting thing about the state is that it is the home of the Presidential Library and Museum for three recent Presidents. The Lyndon B. Johnson Museum (36) is at the University of Texas in Austin, the George H.W. Bush Museum (41) is at the campus of Texas A&M in College Station, and the George W. Bush Museum (43) is at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Since the passage of the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955, thirteen libraries and museums have been established across the country. Their formal function is to serve as the repository for the official documents and personal papers of former Presidents under the direction of the National Archives and Records Administration. The fascinating lives led by many Presidents and valuable artifacts relating to key historical events presented at the museums make them a worthwhile destination for visitors of all political persuasions.
We visited the George H.W. Bush Library and Museum recently and were able to explore the museum and 90-acre grounds on a lovely spring day. The Museum is situated on a separate section of the campus along with the Bush School of Government and Public Service and the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center. The Center has become a popular location for symposiums and ceremonies concerning international relations and other topics.
The Museum entrance and gift shop lead you into an elegant rotunda and the exhibits. The Museum is divided into thirty-one separate galleries which can be explored on your own without a guide. The displays cover the following events which tell the story of the life of President Bush:
Family Tradition and War Years
The initial section of the Museum tells the history of the Bush family including the background of Senator Prescott Bush, the President's father, who was a World War I veteran, a respected Wall Street banker, and a Connecticut politician during the 1950s. George and his four siblings were raised in privilege in Greenwich and at a summer mansion in Maine but were also imbued with a powerful sense of duty and family loyalty. After studying hard and playing baseball at the Phillips Andover private school, the future President befriended Barbara Pierce and began a courtship which led to their marriage in early 1945. In the interim, George enrolled in Yale but left school in 1943 at the age of eighteen to enlist in the Navy. He became the youngest pilot in the war, flew fifty-eight combat missions from aircraft carriers in the Pacific, and was shot down in his plane and rescued by a submarine. The photos, letters and exhibits in this section of the museum convey the keen sense of duty which Bush and other members of the “Greatest Generation" felt during these times and carried with them throughout their lives. One cannot miss seeing a replica of the Avenger Torpedo Bomber plane which President Bush flew in the war hanging above the gallery or enjoy the photo of young George meeting Babe Ruth when he was the captain of the Yale baseball team.
Building a Career and Public Service
The next series of exhibits deal with the formative years of George Bush’s career. After graduating from Yale in 1948, he moved to West Texas to start an oil drilling firm and spent the next fifteen years building a successful business and a reputation for community leadership. Elected to Congress in 1966, Bush ran for the U.S. Senate in Texas twice and lost both times. Nevertheless, he impressed a lot of people along the way and soon was appointed to key national positions
These positions included serving as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, the U.S. representative to the People's Republic of China, and finally head of the CIA. By 1980, Bush was a national figure of stature and competed with Ronald Reagan for the Republican Presidential nomination until Reagan selected him to run as Vice President in the general election. They won in a landslide and for the next 12 years, Bush was in the White House helping Reagan and then running the show as President. The exhibits in this section of the Museum convey the energy and determination of Bush and the support of his family in taking on one difficult job after another. His willingness to lead the demoralized and criticized CIA during the turbulent 1970s when few others wanted the job exemplified the sense of duty he brought to public service.
White House Years
The largest portion of the Museum is devoted to the four years of George Bush's presidency after he defeated Governor Dukakis in the 1988 election. The Museum contains some interesting accoutrements of the Presidency including a replica Oval Office where visitors can pose behind the President's desk, a fully equipped Presidential limousine, a small press room and podium with the Presidential seal, a living room where the President's team held retreats at Camp David, and a model of the late 1980s situation room where important discussions and Gulf War briefings were held with key advisors like General Colin Powell, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Brent Scowcroft and James Baker.
Foreign policy was a top priority during the Bush presidency. It is generally agreed that he managed the transition created by the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War in a measured and successful manner. There are displays in the museum showing the fall of the Berlin Wall, key meetings with Gorbachev, the brief military invasion of Panama, and the successful building of an international coalition to evict Iraq from Kuwait and keep Saddam Hussein from conquering the land of other oil producers in the Gulf region. A replica tank and some videos bring to life the stark reality of that conflict and its importance.
Another interactive display reviews the domestic agenda which the Administration worked on collaboratively with the congress. These bipartisan efforts resulted in important legislation such as the Clean Air Act Amendments, the landmark Individuals with Disabilities Act, and controversial budget agreements. Notwithstanding his international successes and initial popularity, voters became disgruntled after 12 years of Republican Presidents and by a small but persistent recession which began in 1991. They elected Governor Bill Clinton in 1992 in a three-way race with billionaire Ross Perot. Bush accepted the results with grace, dignity, and recognition that his time had passed.
Post-Presidency Activities
The activities of George H.W. Bush as a former President are just as fascinating as the events of his earlier life. The last corridor of the Museum depicts his many charitable and family events including the following notable ones. First, President Bush and Barbara Bush witnessed their oldest son George W. Bush become Texas Governor in 1994 and then be elected President for two terms starting in 2000. They also saw their son Jeb serve as the Governor of Florida for eight years and run unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in 2016. Second, Bush quickly recovered from his loss to President Clinton and the two soon became personal friends. They worked together after the Clinton presidency to raise money for reconstruction efforts after the Indian Ocean tsunami and the Haiti earthquake. The Bushes also enjoyed a cordial relationship with the President Obama who awarded him the Medal of Freedom in 2011. Third, Bush continued to remain an active athlete and outdoorsman and adopted the practice of tandem skydiving on his major birthdays to the chagrin of his family. In 2018, both Barbara Bush and the President died. They were buried along with their young daughter Paulene in a family gravesite next to the Museum surrounded by a rose garden and presidential pond.
Interesting Facts — Two other interesting monuments in the museum courtyard include a sculpture of a herd of horse running over a piece of the Berlin Wall and a life size statue of the President.
How to Get There - College Station is located two and a half hours south of Dallas driving on Interstate 45, 90 minutes north of Houston on Routes 290 and 6, and two hours east of Austin on Route 21. Consequently, visitors to any of these metro areas can readily take a half day trip to see the Museum. All three metro areas have national air service to their airports.
When to Go — Central Texas can be oppressively hot during the summer, but the museum facilities are all air conditioned so visiting there is comfortable throughout the year.