Bus Driver's Drawings Headed to President Bush and His Wife Laura

Artist Joseph Scarano's life-like portrait of President George W. Bush is headed to the former president and first lady, with hopes that it will end up in their home in Texas or in Bush's presidential library.

Parkland School District officials are packaging up the original pastel drawing, as well as an original pen and ink drawing that Scarano did in tribute to those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 

Patch first wrote about Scarano, 80, a Parkland School district bus driver, in December, when the high school showcased his collection of watercolors, pastels, oils and pencil drawings at the Trojan Art Gallery. 

Many of his works were of scenes that had captured Scarano's imagination: a sail boat at sea, an old farmhouse on Springhouse Road in South Whitehall, a covered bridge. The portrait of Bush, smiling and in casual blue shirt, was among them.

At the time, Scarano, a former officer and sketch artist for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,  lamented that the tribute drawing was supposed to go to Bush when he visited Ground Zero in New York, but that it had never been presented to him because of circumstances.

Enter Linda La Due, an artist educator at who has been corresponding with George and Laura Bush for years and who has sort of a pen-pal relationship with the former First Lady. La Due offered to mail them the tribute drawing -- "We Will Not Forget" and the Bush portrait.

"Really?" Scarano, who now lives in Macungie, had responded.

On Friday, the works were getting readied to be sent to Bush and his wife.

And Scarano was beaming.

La Due had struck up a relationship by correspondence with Bush and his wife in 2005, while Bush was still president.

La Due has three Scottish terriers -- Angus, Grey and Bobbi -- and she wanted a copy of the White House's official Holiday card that year, which featured the Bush family's two Scottish terriers, Barney and Beazley.

"I just decided to write. Everybody knows where he lives," she said, holding a copy of the holiday card that she received back from the White House.

In the years that followed, La Due continued her correspondence, mostly with Laura Bush. She sent birthday and holiday gifts to Barney and Beazley, such as a puzzle ball and a red rubber ball. She got cards in return, and hand-autographed photographs of Bush with Barney, and Bush and his wife Laura.

The Bushes don't know the drawings are coming, yet.

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