Monday, January 28, 2008

President Bush's statement on President Hinckley


Statement from President George W. Bush:

Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of our friend, Gordon B. Hinckley. While serving for over seven decades in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gordon demonstrated the heart of a servant and the wisdom of a leader. He was a tireless worker and a talented communicator who was respected in his community and beloved by his congregation. As President of his church, he traveled to more than 60 countries to spread a message of love and optimism to the millions of people around the world who shared his faith.

A Mayflower descendent and the grandson of Mormon pioneers, Gordon was a deeply patriotic man. His leadership and service strengthened the Board of Trustees of Brigham Young University, the Boy Scouts of America, and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. In 2004, I was honored to present him with the Medal of Freedom, our Nation's highest civil award, in recognition of his lifelong public service.

Laura and I will miss Gordon's friendship and wisdom. Our thoughts and prayers are with his five children and the rest of the Hinckley family.

3 comments:

rachel said...

Thank you for putting this here. I had not heard it yet.

JAMIE said...

stuff like this makes me proud...i am glad you posted it...I am still in shock and need to have different things to dwell on right now, and this hit the mark!

H-less said...

It makes me pleased to hear that the Leader of our church and the leader of our country could be friends. What a far way we have come in the history of the church.