Former President Bush Parachutes at 72

The largest picture on the front page of the Wednesday, 26 March 1997, issue of The Houston Chronicle was of Houstonian and Former President, George W. Bush safely parachuting to the ground. This historic event – I can’t recall another president, sitting or former, ever jumping out of an airplane -- completed the goal Mr. Bush had set after bailing out of his fighter plane during WWII. He simply wanted to jump out of an airplane voluntarily. Well he finally did it. The captions in all the newspapers in the land had his age, 72, listed. And that’s what struck me as being of interest from a gerontologic point of view. We nearly always remark that accomplishing a feat like jumping out of an airplane is more remarkable when the jumper is an older person. Why shouldn’t we, you ask? Well, it’s just a normal bit of ageism seeping into our thinking. The chronological age isn’t as important as the functional age. And that’s what President Bush showed us yesterday: that he is a vital person who not only has the physical capability to jump out of an airplane but the drive, the spirit to have set that as a goal. That’s the important point: setting goals, even if they aren’t fully achieved. At least one tried. All of our lives, we’ve said "give them E for effort……it’s how you play the game." The fact that Mr. Bush is 72 years of age is purely coincidental. OK, maybe if he does it again when he is 92 that will really be something. I don’t think Mrs. Bush would allow that, however.

So Mr. President, thanks for showing us that it is important to realize dreams, complete goals set long ago, and for being a fine example of Jack Benny’s favorite age, 39. Go ahead and do it again…."on three….1,2, 3, jump!"

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