Class News
Terry Holcombe ‘64 shares a memory of George H. W. Bush ’48
December 3, 2018
by Terry Holcombe '64
Sometime in l974, the “Campaign for Yale” was foundering. With half the time gone, Yale had raised less than 20% of the money. There were many factors, among them lingering resentment of Kingman Brewster.
I was asked to develop some recommendations as to what we could do. The main options were to close it and start over later, or fix it, with a lot of options in between.
In the end it was decided to press on, but with a total reorganization. We needed at least one fully respected National Chairman. I was sent to Texas to meet with Congressman Bush to ask him to serve.
At that point any reasonable person would have considered it "beyond the call" to accept the key position in a project that was highly likely to fail. I recall some concern on his part that a failed campaign would affect his political image. In the end, he asked me why he should do this. And I boldly said “You shouldn’t.”
After a brief pause in which he was obviously considering what Yale meant to the Bush family and the nation, he enthusiastically agreed. We later balanced the ticket with co-chair Lloyd N. Cutler ’36, ‘39L, counsellor to many presidents.
What was then the largest-ever university campaign went on to right itself and finish well above its goal. This episode may pale in contrast to the many other acts of courage by President Bush, but it was of enormous importance to Yale.
Little formal credit was given, nor expected.
George H. W. Bush died on November 30, 2018.
