George H.W. Bush a great gentleman, says McKenna

Former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna says he will remember George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, as a great gentleman.

Bush died Friday at the age of 94.

McKenna, the deputy chair at TD Bank Group, remembers exchanging letters as Bush sent him information on how to get the roses at his Cap-Pelé home to grow better. 

"We had this little pen-pal relationship going for about a year on how to grow better flowers." 

After McKenna left politics, he hosted a networking event in Moncton in July 2002 and invited Bush to be the guest speaker. 

Bush was the chairman of The Carlyle Group, an American multinational financial services corporation. McKenna was a board member. 

"We played golf at Royal Oaks in advance. He loved the course so much he played it twice." 

Considerate man

After the rounds of golf were done, everyone headed to McKenna's home with Bush and his security detail arriving about 10 minutes before everyone else. 

"My son was the only one there and he spent about 10 minutes talking to my son in just the most considerate way. It was just a wonderful experience for my son." 

McKenna said Bush was interested in where he lived because it was right on the ocean, as was Bush's summer home in Maine. 

"He was wandering around and looking at our flowers and asked us if we needed help in getting our roses growing because the salt corrodes them." 

McKenna said Bush sent him information about it for months afterwards. Barbara Bush began corresponding with McKenna's wife, Julie, about it as well. 

"It was just wonderful. They were so thoughtful and sent me a lovely note of thank you." 

Fished at Larry's Gulch

McKenna said while he had other encounters with Bush as well as his son, George W. Bush, the 43rd president, he didn't return to New Brunswick for another event with him. 

But Bush did spend time with former premier Bernard Lord and former prime minister Brian Mulroney at Larry's Gulch, the government-owned fishing lodge on the Restigouche River, weeks after McKenna's event. 

Mulroney will be one of four people to deliver a eulogy at Bush's funeral.

While saddened to hear of Bush's death, McKenna said George W. Bush had been letting him know about his father's health. 

"He was supposed to be my guest in the summer but he demurred because he wanted to spend more time with his dad. He told me his dad was failing badly so we knew that was happening and it's sad.

"It's the loss of a truly extraordinary human being and one that we will miss in our region because he lived so close to us and knew us so well."