HOUSTON - Statement by Mario Diaz on the death of President George H.W. Bush:

"As much as any other individual in history, President George H.W. Bush personified the City of Houston.  Like his adopted hometown, President Bush was intelligent, tough and a key player on the global stage.  After serving courageously in World War II and attending Yale University, he could have chosen any number of varied careers, each of them almost assuredly leading to a luxury filled workday and dramatic economic success.  But the President chose instead a more difficult and winding path, one traveling past the oil fields of West Texas, through the halls of CIA headquarters in Virginia, over the Great Wall of China itself and eventually, ending at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. with the world’s most coveted 'temp job.'

I personally believe that this adventurous streak of his stemmed from an 'aviator’s spirit.'  After all, he was already a Naval Aviator three days prior to his 19th birthday, the youngest to accomplish the feat up to that time.  Seventy-two years later and George Herbert Walker Bush would still be celebrating his love for all things skyward, marking his 90th birthday with one final skydive.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport was named for the 41st President of the United States for this very reason, because he had a full appreciation for the various ways in which the field of aviation could enrich the cultural lives of individuals and maximize the economic potential of entire nations.  During his inaugural address in 1989, President Bush said, 'We meet on democracy’s front porch, a good place to talk as neighbors and as friends.'  Mister President, your neighbors and friends would like to take a moment to thank you for an amazing conversation."

To learn more about this and the Houston Airports check out fly2houston.com