Dad’s former White House director of political affairs Ron Kaufman gave me the anecdote about the Catholic League of Illinois. So many of Dad’s political colleagues also shared their thoughts regarding the fall campaign with me: Secretary Baker, Sig Rogich, Andy Card, and David Bates chief among them. The source for James Brosnahan’s political contributions was a February 25, 2002 National Review article by Byron York, “American Tali-Lawyer: Defending John Walker Lindh.”
My brother Jeb recounted the Election Night anecdote about Mom, and Joe Hagin shared his experience with Dad from that evening. The November 19, 1992, note from Patty Presock informing my parents about my grandmother’s death came from Dad’s personal files, as did my grandmother’s self-written eulogy.
Chapter 21. Mountaintops and Valleys
Secretary Baker’s postmortem analysis on the 1992 election came from my interview with him. My brothers George and Marvin, and Dad’s longtime political supporter and aide Margaret Tutwiler, also shared their thoughts with me. General Scowcroft’s comments were drawn from the Hofstra University conference.
Andy Card provided me with useful insights on how Dad handled the transition both professionally and personally. My father’s letter to Corinne Quayle and senators Bob Dole and Bob Kerrey were from his personal files. I also appreciate Senator Dole taking the time to share his recollections with me by phone.
Former White House usher Chris Emery sent me a letter with his detailed diary entries recorded the same night he visited the Vietnam Memorial with my parents, on November 10, 1992. Dana Carvey’s observations from his December 6–7, 1992, visit to the White House are drawn from my interview with him. I relied on the published collection of Public Papers for the section covering Somalia, Russia, and Dad’s final major addresses as president at Texas A&M University and the United States Military Academy at West Point.
White House nurse Mary Jackson’s note came from Dad’s personal files, and Prime Minister Mulroney spoke with me about Dad’s final weekend at Camp David. Finally, the material for Inauguration Day 1993 arose from Dad’s personal papers and writings, and from my interview with Special Agent Rich Miller.
Chapter 22. Ultimate Freedom
Dad’s ever-faithful friend Don Rhodes confirmed the details about the lot in Houston where my parents built their present-day home, and neighbor and friend Jack Fitch sent me a letter detailing my parents’ first twenty-four hours back home as private citizens. The letter to Patty Presock came from his private files. The Chase Untermeyer anecdote came from his letter to me for this project.
I deeply appreciate Jimmy Carter sharing with me his thoughts about the role of a former president. Dad’s March 1, 1993, letter to friends came from his personal papers. Both my brother Neil and family friend Lud Ashley shared their recollections of the April 1993 trip to Kuwait with me. Also, some of the details surrounding the failed assassination attempt against my father were drawn from George Mason University’s History News Network at http:// hnn.us/articles/1000.html.
The Reverend Billy Graham wrote me a letter regarding his and his wife’s encounter with my parents during a 1993 speaking engagement in Mexico. Also, the story about Ranger’s death came from my parents’ recollections and writings.
Dad and Nurse Ellen Tolten provided the recollections around the nurses’ and Whittakers’ Maine visit in summer 1993, and Dad’s fishing buddy Bill Busch shared with me several anecdotes about my father’s passion for the sea and fishing. Canadian journalist Art Milnes was the first “outside” person to contact me about this project, at Dad’s urging, and I appreciate his detailed letter to me. I also appreciate our friend in Venezuela Gustavo Cisneros for sharing his anecdotes from the visits Dad and I have made to his country.
My parents shared with me how my brothers George in Texas and Jeb in Florida approached their respective 1994 campaigns for governor starting in 1993. The background information about the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Bath came from the official British royal Web site, http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/ Page495.asp.
Information surrounding my family’s golf heritage came from Dad, golfer Ben Crenshaw, CBS announcer Jim Nantz, and my own recollections. Information about my brothers’ 1994 political campaigns in Texas and Florida came from their interviews with me. Finally, my sisters-in-law Laura and Margaret shared many of the “Idea Man” anecdotes with me, while my niece Lauren and my Uncle Scott Pierce shared stories detailing Dad’s competitive nature in sports.
Chapter 23. The Spring Colt
The details about my parents’ fiftieth anniversary trip to Sea Island, Georgia, came in a letter to me from resort owner Bill Jones. The information from the Nashville celebration and the yearly activities came from my parents’ writings and recollections.
The background information on Jeb’s resurgence in Florida and John Thrasher came from a National Review article titled “Gentle Jeb,” October 26, 1998. The background information on the 1993 Branch Davidian assault in Waco and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing came from the BBC Web site and www.oklahomacity
nationalmemorial.org, respectively. I also interviewed my father and consulted his private papers concerning his resignation from the National Rifle Association.
The information regarding Dad checking in on former congressman Rostenkowski came from my interview with Illinois congressman Marty Russo and was corroborated by Dad; a June 12, 1997, Chicago Sun Times article by Michael Sneed; a January 24, 1998, Congressional Quarterly article by Jackie Koszczuk; and the New York Times archives.
The Hugh Sidey excerpt about the former world leaders is taken from his comments at the previously mentioned Hofstra University conference. The background information about Dad’s involvement with the Bush School students came from his current chief of staff, Jean Becker.
Secret Service detail leader Jim Pollard also sent me his reflections on Dad’s penchant for pushing the limits of his personal safety, and some of the material surrounding Dad’s 1997 parachute jump came from All the Best. The information about the 1999 seventy-fifth birthday celebration came from Dad’s personal files in Houston as well as Dr. John Mendelsohn at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
Dad’s comments about the news media came from a panel he hosted at his presidential Library at Texas A&M in 1999. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, who participated in that panel, was also thoughtful enough to send me a lengthy e-mail responding to questions. The anecdotes from Mom’s seventy-fifth birthday in 2000 came from Mom, Dad, Senator Simpson, and Jean Becker. My brother George offered me insights into his 2000 campaign, and Dad’s traveling aide at the time, Gian-Carlo Peressutti, filled in key details throughout.
I appreciate Dad’s former aide Michael Dannenhauer sharing with me his very personal anecdote.
For Election Night 2000, Dad and Mom; my brothers George, Jeb, and Marvin; Dad’s aides Jean Becker and Gian-Carlo Peressutti; and George’s confidant Karen Hughes all offered details to drive the narrative of that unforgettable night. I relied on Dad’s recollections, my brother George’s, and Margaret Tutwiler’s for details about the recount period and subsequent declaration of victory. Finally, I am deeply grateful to former vice president Al Gore, who shared his insights on the emotional phone call my father made to him on the night the vice president conceded the 2000 election.
The concluding quotes from Dad were taken from his December 20, 2000, interview with Paula Zahn, who was then with the Fox News Channel.
Chapter 24. Family Continuity
Dad’s comments about George’s victory were taken from a 2001 interview he gave to PBS’s Ernie Manouse. Karen Hughes’s comments about President Bush 43 in the Oval Office came from my interview with her.
The anecdotes about how my brother’s election as president has changed our family all came from my parents and family members. Dad’s letter to Hugh Sidey about the Adams family came from my father’s personal files.
The anecdote about Jeb and the mackerel came from Dad’s fishing
buddy Bill Busch.
The information about the 9/11 attacks came from the official 9/11 report, from the Federal Aviation Administration Web site, from my parents’ writings and recollections, and from my own memories. Another fishing friend of Dad’s, Jimmy Dionne, sent me a letter detailing his interactions with my father in the aftermath of 9/11. Dad commented about George’s leadership and his address to the joint session of Congress during a December 2001 interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer. Houston golf professional Paul Marchand described to me how Dad reacted to the 9/11 anniversary a year later, on September 11, 2002.
For the section about Dad’s return visit to Chi Chi Jima in 2002, I relied heavily on my interview with CNN’s Paula Zahn and the transcript from her historic on-site interview with Dad.
I reached out to all of Dad’s grandkids for their thoughts, anecdotes, and—best of all—e-mails they had received from Dad. My father shared the emotions he felt during the funeral for President Reagan with aide Jim McGrath the morning after the service in Houston. The information about Dad’s eightieth birthday party came from his private papers, published news reports in the Houston Chronicle, the letter I received from President Gorbachev, and the interview I had with Larry King.
I gleaned key details about Election Night 2004 from www.uselectionatlas.org and corroborated them using published media reports. Finally, my sister-in-law Laura offered the anecdote about Dad and Kate Cheney.
Chapter 25. Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited
I consulted USAID for the facts and figures surrounding the death toll from the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004. President Clinton, Jean Becker, and Dad offered insights into the February 2005 trip to Asia, and Dad’s letter to Hugh Sidey in March of 2005 was obtained from his personal files.
The information about the Bush-Clinton Houston Tsunami Fund came from Bush staff sources.
Jim Nantz provided key insights from President Clinton’s historic visit to Kennebunkport in June 2005. My sister-in-law Tricia Koch and I were also present with our children.
The background information on Mom and Dad’s sixtieth wedding anniversary celebration at the White House came from my parents and their friend David Rubenstein; pro golfer Phil Mickelson also sent me a letter with the anecdote about crashing a wedding with Dad during their summer 2005 visit; and personal aide Tommy Frechette shared the “new-old” party in Maine with me.
My cousin Hap’s e-mail he sent to me captures the essence of Walker’s Point.
Dad’s concluding letter came from the same letter that produced the opening quote for this chapter, to each of his kids in 2001.
Every effort has been made to ensure that each reference used in the production of this book has been properly sourced and cited. My sister-in-law Tricia and I have double- and triple-checked every section to be sure we have fully adhered to the accepted industry standards for a work of this nature, and I want to thank my partners at Warner Books and Larry Kirshbaum of LJK Literary Management for the diligence they demonstrated in guiding us through this vital section of the book.
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