The Red and Black

Former President George Bush greets the crowd that came out to the dedication of the new Paul D. Coverdell Building for Biomedical and Health Sciences Friday afternoon. (Kristen D. Faircloth - The Red & Black) [Click to enlarge]

From the brass band to the array of Secret Service officers, it was anything but a sleepy Southern afternoon in Athens.

More than 1,500 people turned out to see former President George H.W. Bush speak Friday in honor of his late friend Sen. Paul D. Coverdell.

Many students came toting cameras, craning to see the former President, though most were in grade school when he was in office.

"This is what college is all about," said Anant Mandawat, a sophomore from Augusta. "We'll never get a chance to do something like this again."

Bush was speaking at the dedication of the Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences, a state-of-the-art science research facility.

Coverdell, who died from a stroke in 2000, was elected to the Georgia Senate in 1970, where he served as Senate Minority Leader from 1974-1989. President Bush nominated Coverdell to be the director of the Peace Corps in 1989, a position he held for two years before being elected to the U.S. Senate.

Around 1:30 p.m., a parade of University figures and local politicians, including Athens Sen. Brian Kemp, came marching down the sidewalk.

"I think we've been sending a message," Kemp said, "that the University can be a player in the United States and internationally."

The group filed into a white tent enclosed by metal barriers, which protected them from pollen that rained down like ticker tape.

The crowd cheered as former First Lady Barbara Bush emerged from the Coverdell Center and marched down to the stage. She was followed shortly by the 41st President of the United States and University President Michael Adams.

Adams touched off the fanfare with an introduction and tribute to Coverdell.

"He would have been uncomfortable with his name on something this grand," Adams said.

Gov. Sonny Perdue came next, looking overheated and excited as he remarked on the size of the crowd.

"I'm not sure I would have been here on a Friday afternoon in the springtime in Athens," said Perdue, a University alumnus of the veterinary school. People on the steps of the nearby vet school cheered heartily.

Bush stood next, to the flash of camera bulbs.

"If you want a friend in Washington - get a dog," Bush joked. "There are days when I find that to be true but not when Paul was around."

Bush said his work with former President Bill Clinton for tsunami and hurricane victims was representative of the bipartisan spirit Coverdell often displayed.

"I wish Barbara would stop calling (Clinton and me) the odd couple," he quipped.

Bush's speech was short, only seven-and-a-half minutes, and full of praise for Coverdell.

"Thank you for honoring one of God's special people," Bush said, his voice breaking at the conclusion of his speech.

After the speeches, the group cut the ribbon to the center, and Bush was escorted out by Secret Service.

The elder Bush's presence didn't draw many protesters marching against his son, President George W. Bush.

Drago Tesamovich, a builder from Colbert, was one of a handful who came to the speech covered in anti-war buttons with a protest sign in tow.

"I felt (George H.W. Bush) was a good enough president," Tesamovich, who regularly protests at the Arch, said. "His son is making all the wrong decisions."

Police later asked Tesamovich to move so he would not cause a disturbance.

Congress and the Georgia General Assembly each contributed $10 million to the project, and the University matched the total by raising $20 million.

The $40 million facility is expected to house close to 300 scientists in the biomedical field.

Hordes of students toured the facility and admired the construction - including a seal of the U.S. Senate built into the floor and quotes by Coverdell etched into marble.

Adams said the opening of the center will help the University get "a number of grants."

Kevin Ewalt, a sophomore from Marietta, said he admired Bush's youthful spirit.

"He's still jumping out of planes," he said. It's "cool to still see him active."

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