Fr. Charles Bolser, CSV, has many memories from his years as president of Saint Viator High School —

Fr. Charles Bolser greets Vice President George Bush when he arrived in 1988 at Saint Viator High School.

1986 – 98 — including shepherding the all-boys school into a coeducational institution. But one that stands out is the day the school welcomed Vice President George Bush to address the students and faculty.

“I don’t remember who, but someone asked if he could come to Saint Viator High School and speak to our community,” Fr. Bolser says. “We cordially invited him to come as the Vice President — not as a candidate — and it was a great experience for our students and faculty to be able to meet him and speak with him.”

Senior Tim McCaffrey greets Vice President Bush.

It was Fr. Bolser

Former fighter pilot, Chuck Yaeger, also addressed the crowd.

who met the vice president at the door on that fateful day, April 30, 1988. Their meeting came after nearly 24 hours of security checks by the Secret Service, who went through the entire school with a team of dogs searching for bombs and installed a bank of 25 phones upstairs on the school’s third floor. They also secured the practice fields outdoors, for a helicopter to whisk away the vice president to his next

Students decorated the gym and held up signs.

appearance.

“There was great excitement about his visit,” Fr. Bolser recalls. “He was very cordial and approachable. He was accompanied by his wife, Barbara, as well as Gov. Jim Thompson, astronaut Jim Lovell and (former fighter pilot) Chuck Yeager, and they all seemed very grateful for the opportunity to talk to our students.

“It was one of those interesting days,” Fr. Bolser added, “in the life of Saint Viator High School.”