Former President Bush Skydives To Celebrate Museum Reopening

COLLEGE STATION (AP) – Former President George H.W. Bush celebrated the grand reopening of his presidential museum on Saturday with a surprise skydive.

It was the former president’s sixth skydive and his first since 2004, when he jumped to celebrate his 80th birthday. Bush jumped on Saturday strapped to an expert from the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team, as he did three years ago.

Bush, now 83, had hip replacement surgery in January. He said at the time that he planned to skydive in 2009 for his 85th birthday.

The 69,000-square-foot museum, described by the former president as the “centerpiece of my library,” has been mostly closed since April for the $8.3 million facelift.

The museum and library first opened 10 years ago this week on the Texas A&M University campus about 100 miles northwest of Houston.

Bush’s first parachute jump came in 1944 when he was shot down over the Pacific island of Chi Chi Jima.