Bush's former advance man recalls Barbara's dedication to husband
Arlington Heights native Ed Murnane was responsible for planning and executing events involving President George H.W. Bush all over the globe during the elder Bush's last year in office as director of the presidential advance office.
But it was often Barbara Bush who would have the most to say about what Murnane had scheduled for the president.
"The public perception and private reality were pretty much the same thing when it came to Mrs. Bush," Murnane said. "She was just a kind, gentle lady who was committed to making sure everything went well and right for her husband."
The former first lady died Tuesday at 92.
Murnane recalled Barbara Bush's attentiveness to her husband's health and well-being. If the president was scheduled to be at an event late into the night after a long day, it wasn't the president he'd hear from, but rather the first lady or her staff.
"She was constantly interested and looking out for the interest of her husband," he said. "When I'd create a schedule, she'd always look at it and make sure it was reasonable. And occasionally I'd get the call from someone in her office asking why something was scheduled for 10:30 at night and I knew that meant she didn't think the president should be out that late."
Murnane was responsible for scouting and prepping President Bush's infamous Asian trip in 1992 when the president vomited into the Japanese Prime Minister's lap during a state dinner. Days earlier the president, first lady and their Australian counterparts were soaked in a rare deluge in Sydney during a fireworks show, Murnane said.
During the rainstorm, Murnane said he caught a dreaded look from the first lady that let him know he had messed up by failing to make sure there was cover to protect everyone from such acts of nature.
"She had a stare or look that everyone was aware of and that at times I was the victim of," he recalled. "The rain was coming down in buckets and she kind of gave me the look that wasn't so much critical, but that told me there should have been a canopy or something in case it rained. I have a feeling that she thinks that if he had been better taken care of in Sydney, the problem in Japan wouldn't have happened."
Murnane said he marveled at Barbara Bush's dedication to not just her husband, but her entire family.
"She worked to make sure they all did the right thing and worked as hard as they could and succeeded in whatever goals and directions they went," he said. "There aren't many women whose husband and son were presidents and another son was governor of a state and I think it directly attributable to her leadership and ability and caring as a mother."
The former first lady's funeral is slated for Saturday in Texas.