The passing of former President George H.W. Bush on Friday was particularly notable for one longtime Grand Junction resident, Carroll Multz, who was appointed by Bush to chair the critical Upper Colorado River Commission in 1992.
Multz — a former trial attorney and judge, and now a retired adjunct professor at Colorado Mesa University and author — said Bush appointed him as the first person from Colorado to be named chairman of the commission, which negotiates water matters with Lower Basin states California, Nevada and Arizona, and represents headwaters states' interests in the operation of federal dams and reservoirs in the Colorado Basin.
Multz, 82, on Saturday recalled former President Bush as being relatable, despite his high position.
"He was not an uppity type. He was very conciliatory, very affable, charismatic. Very down to earth," Multz said. "He never acted like he was wearing a crown."
Multz also served as a delegate to the 1992 Republican National Convention in Houston, and fondly remembered a breakfast with three of George H.W. Bush's sons — Neil, Jeb and future President George W. Bush — during that event. Bush would go on to lose in the general election that year to Democrat Bill Clinton, with independent candidate Ross Perot earning a sizable share of the vote.
Some of the materials Multz has saved from over the years are copies of Daily Sentinel newspaper stories detailing the elder Bush's visit to Grand Junction in June 1991, when he stumped for his America 2000 education program, which was designed to improve math and science skills of all students, and to achieve 100 percent adult literacy by the year 2000. Grand Junction was one community that was reported to have taken the lead in implementing the national initiative.
"If Grand Junction is any example, I'm sure we can reach each and every one of our goals," Bush told a crowd of about 6,000 at the old Mesa County Courthouse, according to the Sentinel.
