Former Channel 2 anchor reflects on friendship with President George H.W. Bush

Linda Lorelle speaks during the City of Houston's Celebration of Life for former President George H.W. Bush on Dec. 3, 2018. (KPRC2)

HOUSTON – Linda Lorelle described her role as one of the emcees for the Celebration of Life event held in honor of the late President George H.W. Bush in downtown Houston Monday night as the "honor of a lifetime."

For the former, longtime Channel 2 anchor it capped a friendship with the Bush family that began nearly three decades ago.

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"Who would ever imagine that you could grow up on the Southside of Chicago like I did," she said. "And someday get to be friends with someone who is president of the United States."

Lorelle first met the former president at fundraiser in the Galleria in 1995. Over the years later she would build a strong bond with the entire Bush family and has spent the last few days pouring over pictures, handwritten notes from interviews, and letters from the president.

One of her favorite memories is when she interviewed the recently deceased Texans owner Bob McNair for a tribute video. The only catch was she had to travel to Kennebunkport, Maine, because he was visiting his good friend President Bush.

"He was really frail and not getting around very well," Lorelle said of the president. "But still had that spirit, that twinkle in his eye, that everything that we know about him and what his spirit was all about. It was all still there."

Lorelle said Bush left his mark on Houston by treating everyone equally. She said his life is one that we can all learn from.

"I hope that his legacy will inspire us to embrace the kind of man that he was as we move forward as a nation," she said. "Because we need that civility to come back. We need it."


About the Author:

Emmy Award-winning anchor, husband, dad, German Shepherd owner, Crossfitter, Game of Thrones junkie, chupacabra hunter.