HOUSTON – For half a century George H.W. Bush called Houston his home. For most of that time the city’s late fire chief, Eddie Corral Sr., was a frequent lunch companion. Corral’s family remembers Bush not just as president, but also as a caring friend and neighbor.
Chief Corral’s son keeps a handful of momentos that mark his father’s friendship with the president.
His father joined the Houston Fire Dept as a rookie in the 1950s and rose to chief three decades later.
Along the way, he made friends with an ambitious young oil man, George Herbert Walker Bush, who would become the leader of the free world.
“They were close. They were close.” Eddie Corral Jr. remembers.
Corral Sr. and Bush shared a common bond in their commitment to public service. They lunched often.
“When the president would come to town, he would call the chief up and say, 'Can you meet me? Bring the fellas down,'” Corral said.
As president, Bush sometimes called on short notice.
“He (Chief Corral) was out mowing the grass and the president called, and said, “Hey chief, how’s it going?' 'We’ll George,' he said, 'you caught me mowing the grass.' And sure enough my dad changed and they went out to lunch.”
The president remembered his friend when Corral Sr. was appointed chief in 1992, and when he retired over a decade later.
And Bush put in a call to Chief Corral’s hospital room after heart surgery left Corral in a coma.
"My dad hadn’t spoken in almost seven days. And the minute she said George Bush, my dad’s eyes opened and he took the phone call. He could barely talk, but they got through it,” he said.
A talented armature artist, Chief Corral sculpted a bust of Lincoln for the president. It sat in the oval office throughout his term in office, and that of his son, President George W. Bush.
When Chief Corral died in 2015, Bush was too ill to speak at the service. But he was there in his wheelchair, paying his respects to his old friend.
“Just the camaraderie and friendship in good times and bad. And there were a handful of bad times for my dad that he picked the phone and was always there.” Eddie Corral Jr. said.