ABILENE, Texas (KTAB) – The death of 41st President of The United States, George H.W. Bush is impacting the Abilene community. Now, the public is remembering his life and legacy.

“George H.W. Bush was a good man, he was a good president, he was a good man and that he’s gone is just sad,” McMurry Political Science Professor Dr. Paul Fabrizio said.

It’s a loss felt around the country, state and here in Abilene.

“In the end while the Bush family has now moved to Houston a lot of what formed them and made them was West Texas and Abilene is certainly part of that,” Dr. Fabrizio said.

One Abilene resident and United States Air Force veteran, who actually served during George H.W. Bush’s presidency, said while he was sad to hear of his passing his impact on the community lives on.

“How to act in politics, how to run a country, how to be a good family man he also had a good legacy in the military and in sports. I always really appreciate what he did for the military especially while I was in,” Air Force veteran Mike Conners said.

President Bush will, of course, be remembered for his role in politics.

“You look at politics today here in Texas and it’s dominated by the Republican Party, locally it’s dominated by the Republican Party. Who’s the one responsible for that? Who’s the one who stuck his neck out in a time where this state was all democrats and said I’m a republican and that’s George H.W. Bush,” Dr. Fabrizio said.

For many in the community, however, his legacy is more than his political career.

“George H.W. Bush always focused on what is the right thing to do and so therefore I think that is what he called us to do,” Dr. Fabrizio said.

It’s in who he was as a person.

“You know his signature line for volunteers was ‘a thousand points of light’ and you look at the city of Abilene and see all the volunteer organizations all of the opportunities to help others. What he asked us to do that’s how the city of Abilene has really responded,” Dr. Fabrizio said.

George H.W. Bush will continue to leave a lasting impression on the community, state and the country.