Over the last several years, the Texas state comptroller has produced a video series which highlights the economic impact of a variety of industry sectors.
On Tuesday (March 26), the “Good For Texas” series brought Glenn Hegar to the George H.W. Bush library and museum to kick off episodes about the state’s three presidential libraries.
Hegar, who is a Texas A&M graduate, says the state’s presidential libraries “show our state’s outsized impact on the American presidency and history, support the Texas economy and serve as magnets for civic-minded visitors, scholars, and special events.
The comptroller’s office determined that in 2023, the Bush 41 complex, which includes the George and Barbara Bush Foundation and A&M’s Bush school of government, generated 1,102 direct and indirect jobs, a gross domestic product of $113.2 million dollars, and disposable personal income of $62.1 million dollars.
Hegar said the Bush 41 complex also provides “the historical significance of the years of the president serving this country”, “the first lady’s contribution”, “and then also with the programs of students coming here to fulfill one of the purposes as the president said is, civil service is a noble calling.”
The comptroller also took his first tour of the new pavilion building that contains the still wrapped 41-41 locomotive and a Marine One helicopter, which will open this June. Hegar said the addition will be “another anchor and a reason for people to come to the Bryan/College Station area to tour the library and the museum is pretty phenomenal.”
Click below to hear comments from Glenn Hegar, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver:
Additional information from the Texas comptroller’s office:
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is highlighting the state’s presidential libraries, which provide a unique perspective into U.S. and world events, through his Good for Texas Tour series. Today, Hegar is visiting the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, which is dedicated to the legacy of the 41st president and offers a comprehensive exploration of Bush’s leadership during pivotal moments in history such as Operation Desert Storm, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.
“Texas is home to three presidential libraries at sites chosen by the presidents to preserve their records, stories and legacies,” Hegar said. “Part archive and part museum, these landmarks are local treasures with global impact, spurring curiosity, dialogue and healthy debate. Each site is a time capsule, providing glimpses of past conflicts and solutions — even shedding light on future opportunities. Texas’ presidential libraries show our state’s outsize impact on the American presidency and history, support the Texas economy and serve as magnets for civic-minded visitors, scholars and special events.
“I am honored to visit the Bush Library, with permanent exhibits that explore the influences and challenges that shaped the president’s life, including his service as a fighter pilot in World War II and his many roles in public service: congressman, ambassador to the United Nations, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, vice president and, ultimately, president.”
During his Good for Texas Tour: Presidential Libraries Edition, Hegar is spotlighting information his office has gathered on the presidential libraries. Texas is home to more presidential libraries than any other state.
The Bush Library and Museum opened in 1997 on the campus of Texas A&M University, with a construction cost of $43 million ($81.7 million in 2023 dollars). In 2007, the exhibit space received an $8.7 million renovation ($12.7 million in 2023 dollars). Now at 81,706 square feet, the library holds 44 million pages of records; 2 million still photos; 10,000 videotapes; 61,271 library artifacts; and 800 hours of audio.
Construction is underway for a 29,000-square-foot building that will house the Union Pacific 4141 locomotive, a new café and the Marine One helicopter used during Bush’s presidency. These additions are valued at $38 million.
Considering this construction activity and ongoing maintenance, combined with retail sales, the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is estimated to have contributed $113.2 million to the Texas economy in 2023, with a total employment — direct and indirect — of about 1,100. More than 101,000 patrons visited the library in 2023.
