Rubbing Shoulders
with a President

It’s probable that anyone who lives in the Houston metropolitan area has tuned their radio, at one time or another, to 92.1 FM. In its lifetime it has been known as KZRQ, a Zoo format, KYND, a Beautiful Music format, and then KLEF and KRTS, for a classical music format.

Radio One, a publically traded company that owns many stations throughout the US, bought the Seabrook-Houston licensed station to program a gospel format aimed primarily at the black audience.

However, several years back, it was redesigned as an all-news station. For its new format, it hired several of Houston’s best known broadcast news personalities, Brent Clanton, Lana Hughes and J.P. Prichart.

All three are my friends, but I know Brent the best.

Brent recently told me a story that I thought would be an interesting column for TexasEscapes.com. - Bill Cherry

Rubbing Shoulders with a President
By Brent Clanton

How often do you get to rub shoulders with the former leader of the Free World, literally in his own back yard? In the summer of 2004 I rode my last trip with the Houston Police Bicycle Relay Team from Houston to Quebec City, Quebec, CA.

Our 2,970-mile route took us through Vicksburg, New York City and Kennebunkport, MA, for the second time, where we had the rare and unique privilege of meeting former President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush at the family compound.

We rode into Kennebunkport in two columns, followed by our support vans and patrol cars. I will always remember Mr. Bush’s voice as he welcomed us inside the gates of the compound, from atop a Segway PT: “Come on in here, all you Houston, Texans!”

The Bush Summer Home is neat and tidy in a classic New England fashion; with cedar shake siding, accented by white-trimmed windows and eaves, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Even though it was the middle of summer, on an overcast day, there was a distinct coolness in the air.

We rode our bikes through the front gate of the compound, and dismounted, clustering around the former president, first lady and their dog, Milly.

Gifts were distributed: A bouquet of flowers for Mrs. Bush, and Texas memorabilia for President Bush, including embroidered jackets and dog tags of cancer patients for whom the Team was riding.

The HPD Relay makes an annual trek across the country to raise funds and awareness for the mission of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The Bush’s daughter, Robin, died from childhood Leukemia at the age of 4 nearly 60-years ago.

The Bush’s have been ardent supporters of the cause for finding a cure for the disease.

President Bush was particularly intrigued by a new kind of bicycle several of us were riding, called recumbents—where the rider sits in a semi-prone position, with legs outstretched to reach the pedals.

I quickly retrieved my bike, a “Rocket” short-frame recumbent, and invited President Bush to try it. He was too tall for the short-framed bike, but gamely sat astride it as I explained the mechanics of the bicycle.

He decided to try my bike, so we angled his long legs upwards and outwards so that his feet were on the pedals, aimed him towards a long stretch of driveway, and gave him a presidential push forward. We didn’t let go.

We found that President Bush definitely had the knack, but was too big for my bike. We later put him on a “long-boy” recumbent, which was better suited for him.

Afterwards, the entire team strolled with President and Mrs. Bush down to a rock wall on the water, and posed for photos, including a group shot of our entire entourage with the former first family.