President George H.W. Bush and First Spouse Barbara Bush Coin Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. WILLIAMS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise today in strong support of the President George H.W. Bush and First Spouse Barbara Bush Coin Act honoring one of the most remarkable couples in our Nation's history.

I am proud to have introduced the House companion bill, H.R. 1173, this Congress with a bipartisan group of 27 lawmakers from the Texas delegation.

President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush were examples of selflessness and sacrifice. And like their country they were tough, they were strong and they were kind.

From President Bush's naval aviation career where he was the youngest pilot to receive his wings and was later shot down over the Pacific to his small business career, to his tenure as a Texas Congressman, ambassador to the United Nations, ambassador to China, director of the Central Intelligence Agency and later as vice president, no one was more prepared to be President than George H.W. Bush.

During George H.W. Bush's Presidency, he tore down the Berlin wall, and he kept us safe during Desert Storm. He brought to the White House with him unwavering strength, patriotism, and humility.

An example of the latter that comes to my mind, when shortly before the USS George H.W. Bush, or CVN-77 as it is called, was completed, several of us on the board of directors went to President Bush's Houston office and let him know how the ship was doing and it was almost ready. Upon learning of its status, he put his head in his hands and said, ``This is one of the nicest things that has ever happened to me.'' He was the embodiment of a gracious warrior. Tonight I wear this tie that is the tie of CVN-77 to remind me of that event and in his honor.

He lived life fearlessly. Later in his life when President Bush turned 80, he celebrated his birthday, dubbed as ``41 at 80`` by jumping out of an airplane at 13,000 feet at College Station, and he did it twice. They were his fourth and fifth jumps, and I was honored to shake his hand upon the landing.

For those who knew the Bushes, their love for country was only surpassed by their love of each other. George and Barbara Bush were married for 73 years in one of the greatest love stories of our time. From their very first meeting to the decades of life and family they shared together, the Bushes personified devotion and the truest expression of love.

President Bush and I were often able to share our passion for America's favorite pastime while I served as a trustee for the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M. Forty-one was a fixture in the world of baseball, and he famously took credit for the phrase ``you da man'' while praising the Houston Astros' Rusty Staub after a game in the sixties. It was one of the very few things he would ever boast about and be braggadocious. He claimed from then on that he never received enough credit for coining that phrase.

I also had the great privilege of awarding him the National College Baseball Hall of Fame induction trophy in his Houston office a few years ago for his esteemed and great career he had playing for Yale at first base and playing in the College World Series. Today I even wear this ring as a George H.W. Bush award recipient from the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.

President Bush taught my daughters how to play basketball in Kennebunkport preparing them for their future junior high and high school careers. He most notably taught them the ``falling leaf'' shot. I think this is about how it looked, which in his mind would make them all-stars if mastered, while they wore the tennis shoes given to them by Mrs. Bush as they practiced.

First Lady Barbara Bush was a force of nature, and she carried the mantle of trusted adviser and family matriarch with unfailing grace. Barbara displayed true dedication to her country and her family in every phase of her life.

To this day, one of my most meaningful memories was President Bush often saying thank you for being a friend to my family and a friend to my son.

Together President Bush and Mrs. Bush exemplified what all Americans should strive to emulate. They were friends of America, and I was honored to call them friends of mine.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill honoring the legacy of two of our Nation's most devoted servants.

In closing, I would just like to say this to President Bush, ``Mr. President, you da man.'' In God we trust.

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