Although he was born and grew up on the East Coast, former President George H. W. Bush was the quintessential Texan.
HOUSTON — Although he was born and grew up on the East Coast, former President George H. W. Bush was the quintessential Texan.
He found early success in the state’s oil fields, helped change the landscape of Texas politics and loved Tex-Mex food.
And in his adopted hometown of Houston, Bush, who died on Friday, and his wife Barbara endeared themselves to the city and its residents through their kindness, accessibility and support of charitable causes and local sports teams.
“His roots are here and he’s considered a Texan even if he doesn’t have the accent,” said Jim Granato, executive director of the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs.
Bush didn’t come to Texas until 1948, after he had served in World War II and graduated from Yale University.
Along with his wife and their young son George W., the family came to live in Odessa. Bush took a job as an equipment clerk for the International Derrick and Equipment Co. He eventually achieved success in the oil business, forming Zapata Petroleum Corp.
Ricardo Molina, whose family owns Molina’s Cantina, one of Bush’s favorite Tex-Mex restaurants in Houston, said the former president was an individual who exemplified a popular saying often heard or seen on bumper stickers in the Lone Star State: “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could.
