Though he’s the oldest living ex-president and uses a wheelchair, George H.W. Bush didn’t pass up the opportunity Thursday to celebrate his 90th birthday with his customary parachute jump.
Customary celebration
The nation’s 41st president made his first parachute jump while a World War II Navy pilot, bailing out from his shot-down plane over the Pacific. On Thursday, he jumped from a helicopter at about 6,000 feet above his home state, Maine, while harnessed to retired Sgt. 1st Class Mike Elliott, a former member of the Golden Knights, the Army’s parachute team.
“That’s what he wanted for his 90th birthday and that’s what he got,” said Elliott, who also guided Bush to a safe landing on his 85th birthday. “It’s a very good feeling to be involved and be able to turn back time.”
Bush was greeted with a kiss from his wife, Barbara, and a hug from his son, president No. 43, George W. Bush.
“It’s vintage George Bush,” spokesman Jim McGrath said. “It’s that passion for life. It’s wanting to set a goal, wanting to achieve it. I’m sure part of it is sending a message to others that even in your retirement years you can still find challenges.”
Also turning 90
Close behind Bush is former President Jimmy Carter, who will celebrate his 90th birthday on Oct. 1. Carter can lay claim to the longest ex-presidency on record, extending more than 32 years since he left office in 1981 — almost two years longer than that of the previous record-holder, Herbert Hoover.
Carter, too, remains active, teaching Sunday school in his hometown of Plains, Ga., and remaining involved in the activities of s non-profit Carter Center in Atlanta, which operates programs promoting peace and health around the world. He has also hosted fundraisers for his grandson, Jason Carter, who is running for Georgia governor — a post the elder Carter held before being elected president.
Presidential lifespans
Bush and Carter are two of the 10 longest lived ex-presidents. Also on the list:
• Gerald Ford; 93 years, 165 days; died Dec. 26, 2006.
• Ronald Reagan; 93 years, 120 days; died June 5, 2004.
• John Adams; 90 years, 247 days; died July 4, 1826.
• Herbert Hoover; 90 years, 71 days; died Oct. 20, 1964.
• Harry Truman; 88 years, 232 days; died Dec 26, 1972.
• James Madison; 85 years, 104 days; died June 28, 1836.
• Thomas Jefferson; 83 years, 82 days; died July 4, 1826.
• Richard Nixon; 81 years, 103 days; died April 22, 1994.
The presidents with the shortest lifespans? Two who died from assassin’s bullets: John F. Kennedy, 46, and James Garfield, 49.
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