On December 6, 2018, the Union Pacific 4141 engine led the President George H.W. Bush funeral train from Houston, TX to College Station, where the former president was laid to rest alongside his beloved wife, former First Lady Barbara P. Bush, and their daughter, Robin.
On that solemn day, admirers from across the globe paid their respects to our 41st President as they lined the 70-mile track to his final destination. It was an emotional day filled with pride, patriotism, and remembrance.
“He has left such a fantastic legacy that’s going to continue to make a difference and touch people’s lives,” said Benjamin Knox, the artist behind the 16-foot long painting that now hangs in the atrium of the Robert H. ’50 and Judy Ley Allen Building.
“He has left such a fantastic legacy that’s going to continue to make a difference and touch people’s lives.”
Benjamin Knox
The composition, entitled The Ride Home, draws inspiration from a photograph taken of President Bush’s last journey home to College Station.
The inspirational photograph came to be when the Nichols family were invited to participate in a professional photo with other ranchers on horseback to pay tribute to former President George H.W. Bush, as the 4141 Union Pacific engine carried his American flag-draped casket to his final resting place at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library.
Matt Nichols and his son, Will Nichols, along with several others were lined up on their horses alongside railroad tracks in Millican, Texas, ready for “the shot” and memory of a lifetime.
While the engine approached, the conductor blew the train whistle and an unanticipated reaction from the horses not broken to such a loud sound resulted in them turning to run away, and the photographer did too! This left only Matt, Will, and friend, Casey Rice, standing in place to witness this humbling journey of President Bush’s “Ride Home.” As the train passed, they watched as the Bush family took photos and video from the train of them paying their respects from horseback.
What was intended to be a crafted professional photo, turned into the most beautiful candid photograph taken by Matt’s wife, Dayna Nichols, with her amateur camera.
The Nichols family shared, “it was an honor for all to say goodbye and welcome home, President Bush”.
The silver Union Pacific 4141 engine, named in reference to President Bush’s position as the United States’ 41st president, pulls the train. The funeral carriage, emblazoned with the American flag, follows several cars behind. Cowboys on chestnut horses pause in a wheat field to watch the train pass, doffing their hats in respect.
“To me that picture was Texas. It was respect. It was a president coming home,” said Mark Welsh, dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service.
“It is the final ride home for President Bush,” said Knox. “Home evokes a sense of what’s important. It’s memorable. For us, home is Aggieland.”
Infused with symbolism that signifies Bush as both the 41st president and a Texan, the panoramic painting is framed in such a way to draw the viewer’s eye across the full composition. The funeral car is depicted with an open door that allows viewers to see inside.
“You will see President Bush there and the navy serviceman standing, and that will evoke the importance of what you can do with your life and what you can do to make a difference,” said Knox.
“It’s a phenomenal painting. It’s the ride home. His home now is behind the Bush Center complex,” said Welsh.
Benjamin Knox ’90 is a nationally-acclaimed artist, Texas A&M professor and Texas native. His work has been featured in universities, museums, hotels, and the homes of high-profile individuals throughout the United States. In 1997, Knox was designated the official artist for the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum. President Bush called him a “very fine artist”.
