After watching some parts of the funeral of George H.W. Bush, who served as the forty first President of the United States, I felt a great sense of attachment to the man. I couldn’t help but appreciate to a lot of the praise expressed by people who spent time with Bush during his lifetime and who got to know him well. Among the adjectives used to describe his personality and character were honest, humble, loving, charitable, old fashioned, dignified, and good. Watching his funeral, I realized that George H.W. Bush lived his life in accordance with many of the Midot that we are taught to practice at Ramaz.

Bush was born in 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts to a United States Senator. After graduating from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts (a prep school much like Ramaz), and gaining admission to Yale, Bush chose to enlist in the Navy and fight in World War II. His plane was shot down in the Pacific and two of his crewmen died as a result of the crash. But luckily, he was rescued before the Japanese could capture him. Bush felt a sense of lifelong r responsibility for the deaths of his crewmen, and never fully recovered from the experience emotionally.  He has stated that he chose a life of service in commemoration of his crewmates’ sacrifice to the United States.

After graduating from Yale (which he attended after the conclusion of the War), he married his sweetheart Barbara Pierce and left with his young family for Texas, where he became involved in the oil business. He wanted to succeed on his own rather than follow in his father’s footsteps. He persevered and became a millionaire by the time he was forty years old. He then chose to go into public service, eventually losing his first Senate election. In 1967,  he was elected to the House of Representatives by the state of Texas.

Bush was hardly one to let defeat define his life or compromise his dedication to serving the United States. He went on to become an ambassador to the United Nations and the head of the CIA. He was chosen by Ronald Reagan to be his Vice President in 1980. After serving two terms with Reagan, he was elected as the forty-first President of the United States in 1989. Bush constantly aspired to greater heights in his life. Ramaz is said to prepare its students to accomplish great things and change the world through hard work and service. President Bush, although not an alumnus of our school, is a shining example of everything Ramaz prepares us to do in our professional adult lives.
Bush also exemplified many of the Midot we learn at Ramaz in his personal life. He was married to Barbara Bush for seventy three years and showed her great love and respect during that time. He was a very warm and affectionate father to his children, two of whom followed his footsteps by pursuing a life of public service. His eldest son, George W. Bush, went on to become forty-third President of the United States, and his second son, Jeb Bush, served as Governor of Florida for eight years.

Moreover, George H.W. Bush was a pretty important player in the formation of Jewish history. He fought for Israel while serving as US Ambassador to the United Nations, urging the Security Council to repeal the Zionism-is-Racism resolution. He also advocated on behalf of Soviet Jews, who were having their religious-rights threatened. Abraham Foxman, who served as National Director of the Anti-Defamation League for nearly three decades, said he felt Bush would go down in history as the president who did more to save Jews around the world than any other president. Bush was also responsible for saving the remnants of the Syrian Jewish community in Aleppo through his diplomatic efforts.

It is clear that President George H.W. Bush is a primary example of one who lives his life with menschlichkeit. As Ramaz students, we all strive to live benevolent and patriotic lives, and that’s exactly how George Bush lived his life. The former president’s favorite motto was “Gently in manner, strongly in deed.” What a perfect way to describe the man who lived his life in service to others.