PRESIDENTIAL EMBRACE

Bush honors GV resident, raises money during visit

TUCSON — Mary Frances Ward wiped away tears Friday morning after a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet the president of the United States, who presented the Green Valley resident with a volunteer service award before departing Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

President Bush, who was in Tucson attending a Republican fundraiser for State Senate President Tim Bee, arrived at Davis-Monthan around 10 a.m. and spent about 20 minutes greeting more than 200 military service personnel and their families. They crowded behind a barricade set up near Air Force One.

Bush was all smiles as he paused to take photos with enthusiastic supporters, who were whooping and cheering as he made his way through the crowd.

The president even stopped to personally greet Ward’s sister, who flew in for the event from out of state, before walking up to the honoree with his arms extended.

“My heart was pounding. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to say anything to him,” said Ward, a retired elementary school teacher who is being recognized for her work tutoring Tucson schoolchildren.

“I have been blessed to have a number of small recognitions, but this is really the one at the top of the shelf,” she said.

Ward was nominated for the President’s Volunteer Service Award by Experience Corps, a volunteer organization that pairs older adults with students who are lagging behind in their literacy skills. Ward also volunteers extensively with Valley Presbyterian Church in Green Valley.

Ward said she offered her condolences to Bush for the death of Tony Snow, the former White House press secretary who died July 12 of colon cancer, and told him she appreciated receiving the honor, which “isn’t just for me personally, but for all the volunteers in this sector,” she said.

Bush arrived in Tucson Thursday night to attend a Friday morning breakfast for Tim Bee, whose challenging Democrat Gabrielle Giffords for her Congressional District 8 seat.

More than 400 people attended the breakfast, which was held in a private home. Most attendees were citizens from Tucson and throughout the district, said Bee’s campaign spokesman, Tom Dunn, though several dignitaries and local politicians came to show their support.

They included Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, a member of Bush’s cabinet; Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll; State Rep. Jonathan Paton; and Bee’s one-time congressional rival, Derek Tidball.

At $1,000 a plate, the event netted an estimated $500,000 for the Bee campaign, making it the largest political fundraising event in Tucson’s history, according to Dunn.

jrichardson@gvnews.com | 547-9726