The death Friday night of former President George H.W. Bush probably has many longtime northeast Georgians recalling when he visited Gainesville and Cornelia.
It was on Oct. 20, 1992, in the closing days of his campaign for re-election against Bill Clinton – an election he would lose just a few weeks later.
The country's 41st President arrived in Gainesville about 2:30 that afternoon, onboard his "Spirit of America" campaign train.
The train stopped at the Amtrak Depot in Gainesville. A large crowd was assembled on the depot side of the tracks. A media area was set up on the other side. The President spoke from the platform on the back of the car at the rear of the train. The Atlanta Braves were in the World Series and were scheduled to play Game 3 that night in Toronto, and when Bush appeared he was wearing a Braves jacket.
During his remarks, he made a pitch for his re-election, taking verbal shots at Clinton, and calling out the names of the local Republican candidates some of whom were in the audience.
After the Gainesville stop, the train moved on to Cornelia and then into South Carolina, according to www.gpo.gov, for a stop in Spartanburg. The "whistlestop tour," as it was called, a throwback to earlier days when presidential candidates regularly campaigned by train, ended in Raleigh, N.C., later that week.
In Cornelia, Officer Kevin Gaddis was one of the scores of law enforcement personnel tasked with protecting the President.
“I remember the anticipation that day brought to our community the entire day,” Gaddis said. “The downtown area of Cornelia was just buzzing with excitement that an American President was making a stop there. Being a small part of the massive security detail was kind of surreal to me as such a young officer, and then to wind up literally a couple of feet from the president was amazing.”
Gaddis and other officers actually were closer than expected to the President.
“What most people don’t know is that it wasn’t supposed to happen the way it did,” Gaddis said. “No one was supposed to be on the tracks but once the train stopped everyone busted through the rope line to get closer to the President. He was a respectful man who acknowledged us (law enforcement) as we stood there maintaining a security line at the back of the train. That is definitely one day in my career that I will never forget and can look back on and be proud to have been a part of.”
Kenny Thompson was another of those who was assigned to ensure the safety of the President and others during the campaign stop in Cornelia.
“I do remember being asked by the Secret Service to be on the front line and when the train came to a stop, I was the only person on the tracks directly below the President,” Thompson said. “He stepped out looked straight at me and saluted.
“People always ask me what I did,” Thompson said. “’Snapped to and returned it; it was the dang President’. I always thought a lot of him.”
Other celebrities accompanied President Bush at the campaign stops.
“I met Rick Flair in the Depot and he said, ‘Don't you know who I am?’ I replied, ‘Yes sir, now turn around and put your hands on the wall.’ He was pretty nice after that.”
In the hours leading up to the train’s arrival, families redeemed free tickets distributed in the community before passing through metal detectors located across the full width of Main Street, passing dozens of federal, state and local officers, both in uniform and plain clothes. Even the Habersham County Sheriff’s Posse volunteers were activated and assisted with the security detail downtown.
Musician Gerald Johnson, who now serves as Habersham County’s chief magistrate judge, was one of those who entertained on the stage overlooking the railroad leading up to and upon the President’s arrival.
“It was truly amazing seeing the turnout that day,” Johnson said. “Everyone who was around the Depot was filled with joy and excitement when President Bush arrived on the train. Up to that point, I had never experienced anything like it. I was glad I had a little part in our history.”
Click here for the text of Bush's remarks during his stop in Gainesville.
Click here for the text of his remarks during the Cornelia stop.
