Spencer J. Eggers/ The Daily Campus
The George W. Bush Presidential Center Topping Out Ceremony took place Monday morning and several SMU Board of Trustees members were in attendance.
Trustee Laura Bush held a media briefing prior to the ceremony to discuss the Presidential Center’s LEED certification and some of the work the institute is already working on. Bush chaired the design committee for the center.
“We wanted the building to fit in with SMU, but we also wanted it to represent the first decade of a new century,” Bush said about the building’s Georgian architecture with a modern flair.
Trustee and SMU President R. Gerald Turner spoke about the ceremony as the perfect ending to “a great weekend in Mustang Land,” referring to football’s big win over TCU Saturday.
“This has been a great opportunity to partner with the Bush Institute and the Presidential Center,” Turner said. “It’s a wonderful addition to our campus already.”
Student trustee Adriana Martinez was also involved with the ceremony. She led the invocation.
Board Chair Caren H. Prothro was also in attendance, seated in the front row of the audience.
Monday’s ceremony celebrated the last beam at the top of the highest point of the building being put into place.
Hilltop Politics 