The funeral of George H.W. Bush was sad, but there were some funny moments. He was eulogized by both Jim Baker and Sen. Alan Simpson. I worked at the Aspen Meadows for many years. I’ve seen them both in action.
One evening there was a cocktail party in the Bandar bin Sultan building. This was before the conference center was finished. Baker was leaving early. I opened the door for him. He hesitated. Then he proclaimed in a loud voice, “Tomorrow I’m going to Africa, I hope to shoot a Cape buffalo.” You could hear 90 people inhale deeply.
Late one afternoon I was driving Ben Bradley and Sen. Simpson back to the Meadows from downtown. It was rush hour and cars were backed up to the Jerome. I took Bleeker Street to avoid the gridlock.
Bradley whined, “Why are we poking along on this side street?” I stopped at Bleeker and Fourth streets. I pointed to the situation on Main Street. Sen. Simpson said, “Verne knows what he is doing. Let’s get back to our conversation about you and Jackie.”
Verne Gurholt
Aspen