UNBRIDLED LE ADER S HI P
Making History on the Hilltop: Welcoming the Presidents (cont.)
For SMU President R. Gerald Turner, the “significance of April 25 cannot truly be described or predicted, as it opens up the home of documents and artifacts chronicling a unique time in U.S. history. No matter what one’s political views, the Bush Center establishes SMU as a major resource for presidential history.”
More than 600 media representatives from around the world converged on campus for the dedication, among them Diane Sawyer of ABC and Matt Lauer of NBC. In a four-day period, SMU was mentioned as the home of the Bush Center in 1.1 million articles worldwide.
The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is the 13th such resource in the nation operated by the National Archives and Records Administration, a federal agency. The George W. Bush Institute, an independent public policy organization, reports to the private Bush Foundation.
At the same time, SMU was under the watchful eyes of more than 250 law enforcement personnel from SMU’s Police Department and local, state and federal agencies, in addition to the U.S. Secret Service, which supervised security for the dedication. Military helicopters and F-16 jets could be heard overhead.
Starting April 22, the SMU campus hosted 12 events in five days planned by the Bush Foundation, ranging from private dinners for donors and dignitaries to the formal dedication ceremony to a massive block party co-hosted by SMU and the Bush Foundation. For the pageantry of the dedication, a massive stage and seating area were erected on the north side of the Bush Center along SMU Boulevard, with seating also on the nearby intramural field. SMU faculty, staff and students not attending the ceremony watched simulcasts online, in McFarlin Auditorium or at an outdoor screen.
The capstone event, especially for SMU community members not present at the dedication ceremony, was an evening block party on the intramural field and lighting of the Bush Center’s Freedom Hall. Together, those events attracted more than 12,000 students, faculty and staff and their families, SMU neighbors and Bush Center guests. Featuring games, food and entertainment by students and alumnus Jack Ingram ’93, the block party culminated with a nine-minute pyrotechnics show. Fireworks formed a giant “W” in the sky.
Each visiting president made remarks praising Bush for progress on key issues they shared as priorities for the country. But in his comments, Bush turned the spotlight on SMU. “I want to thank the people who have made this project a success. President Gerald Turner runs a fantastic university … with active trustees, dedicated faculty and a student body that is awesome,” the latter remark eliciting a huge cheer from students in the audience. He continued, “Today I am proud to dedicate this center to the American people.”
“Awesome” was a common word used by students to describe the presence of five U.S. presidents on campus. “The world truly came to SMU on April 25,” Turner said, “and it will continue to do so because of the Bush Center.”
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(Above) Fireworks form a “W” above the Bush Center the evening of the facility’s dedication.