COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Preparations are underway for the Thursday afternoon burial of President George H.W. Bush.
From updating the flower beds outside the Bush Presidential Library to rehearsing fighter jet flyovers, a number of Texas A&M University buildings were closed off to the public.
The Bush School of Government and Public Service was off limits, too, but its students were available to talk about how they hope to carry on the mission of Bush 41.
"He was definitely a moderating influence. He was a believer in compromise. He was, ultimately, a really decent man," said Seth Smitherman.
"It wasn’t about him, ever. It was always about other people," said graduate student Emily Hall. "And maybe that’s why he so approachable. Maybe that’s why people wanted to have dinner with him, because he would be a great conversationalist who wanted to talk about the other person and not himself."
"We could always serve more. I think we could always be more humble and I think we could always put others first," said Madeline Chilton.
The Bush School of Government and Public Services offers graduate programs. A bronzed larger-than-life size statue of the President stands out front of the school.
"One of his quotes is that public service is a noble calling. And that we need men and women of character to know that they can make a difference in their communities," Smitherman said.
"That’s truly how we live out our lives here at the Bush school," Hall said.
"As to whether we’re the living legacy, I hope we are. I really do. I hope we can," Smitherman said. "I hope that we can take that lesson of common decency, of moderation, of restraint of respect and turn that into another lifetime of service."