Liz Hausmann Mourns Passing Of Former President Bush

Editor's note: the following is from Fulton County District 1 Commissioner Liz Hausmann:

On Nov. 30, our nation lost one of our most inspiring and selfless public servants with the
passing of President George Herbert Walker Bush. As we mourn our collective loss, I extend my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of our 41st president.

Upon learning that the National Day of Mourning and National Funeral Service for President Bush would be held during our scheduled Dec. 5 Fulton County Board of Commissioners meeting, I informed the Commission Chairman that I would not be in attendance at the BOC meeting out of respect for the President and the country. I also sought to have the meeting postponed to a later date. Unfortunately, notice requirements would not permit Fulton County to formally cancel the meeting in the necessary time frame.

President George H.W. Bush was a pillar of the United States, and served our country in so many ways during his lifetime. Beginning in World War II as one of the youngest U.S. Navy pilots ever, he was shot down over the Pacific Ocean. He would later go on to serve as a congressman, ambassador to the United Nations, CIA director and vice president, before assuming the Office of the Presidency.

The remembrances of this great American allowed us as a country to recall this giant of a president, who led our nation with not only strength, but kindness and respect, and who inspired us with his legacy of lifelong dedication to serving the people of our Country.

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As his son, former President George W. Bush, stated in his eulogy, his father truly was the brightest of one thousand points of light. Perhaps most importantly, the Day of Mourning allowed us to experience a moment of national unity; to pause and reflect on the American story.

I hope that this moment proves to be a lasting one, as we strive to be the kinder, gentler nation that President Bush worked so hard to inspire. I hope that we all use this time of reflection to ask how we can all do our part to serve our communities, and use his example to give back, in our individual communities, in honor of this great statesman.

Photo by John Moore/Getty Images