Mayor Steve Benjamin fondly remembers meeting President George H.W. Bush

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)–  A tweet that has been liked hundreds of times, Mayor Steve Benjamin shared a moment from his 20s that he’ll never forget. 

“I stayed up, literally, all night long, because I was afraid of oversleeping and missing the president,” Benjamin said.

Mayor Benjamin served as student body president at the University of South Carolina in 1990, and as such, given the responsibility to carry the university mace to kick off commencement. It just so happened, George H.W. Bush was to give the commencement speech, and although his meeting with the President was brief, President Bush taught him a few things about life.  

“If you work hard, get a good education, and treat people with dignity and respect, then good things will happen,” Benjamin said. “President Bush exuded that. He was classy, he was thoughtful, he was considerate. He understood the importance of community.”

Mayor Benjamin even addressed that rad hairdo, way back when.

“My haircut was very 1990 as well, but it was very cool back then,” Benjamin said.

He’s also hopeful that while we look at the future, we can remember the strong leader President George H.W. Bush was, and bring that to the leadership today.

“Prayerfully that’s not a day gone by, but maybe an indicator of just what the promise of America still holds as we continue to build this more perfect union,” Benjamin said. 

Mayor Benjamin said President George H.W. Bush taught the country quite a lot through his selflessness in the service, his leadership, and guidance.