COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Graduate students enrolled in Texas A&M's Bush School of Government and Public Service hope to be a living legacy of President George H.W. Bush.
They share his love of spreading common decency. In fact, 23-year-old Tiffany Easter posted a photo on Twitter last month that went viral. The second-year Bush School student struck up the nerve to ask political opponents Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke to take a photo with her at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. O'Rourke stood on one end, Easter stood in the middle and Cruz on her other side.
"I think the reason it did is because it exemplifies what America wants to see," said Easter in the minutes after President Bush's funeral service wrapped at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. Tuesday. "Common decency is what that was about. Common decency is what President Bush stood for and exemplified in everything that he did."
Easter, who watched the funeral service ahead of an afternoon class at the Bush School reflected on one of her favorite moments of Wednesday's memorial.
"I forget who said it," said Easter. "But they said, it was toward the end, and he said he was the greatest man of his generation and one who exemplified the way our country can move forward. But he said, it doesn’t have to end there."
Students at the Bush School aspire for a career in public service.
"It’s our call of duty and as he says, it’s a noble calling," said Easter of President Bush's many remarks about serving the community.
Graduate students find many ways to connect with Bush 41. A soaring bronze statue of the school's namesake stands at Texas A&M. Easter says students will pose with the Bush statue after the student has taken a test or completed a college semester.
And last Friday, on Nov. 30, first-and second-year students of the Bush school met for an annual game of football. Easter's team, the Bushwhackers, won. The score was 50 to 9.
"Coincidentally we ended up winning by 41 points." To celebrate, the students posed for a photo on the field. "And then later we realized it was on the 41-yard line after the 41 points," said Easter.
President George Herbert Walker Bush would die later that night. Tiffany Easter is hopeful her generation will lead us into a new day.
"It’s our charge to keep moving forward."
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