Close to home
Chattanooga native and Bush biographer Jon Meacham will deliver a eulogy at the president’s funeral
When they arrived, former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, met with a fitting dignitary: the San Diego Chicken.
The Bushes came here on April 1, 2000, to toss opening pitches in the debut game for the Chattanooga Lookouts’ new downtown stadium. Team owner Frank Burke was a family friend, and he wanted a glitzy lineup to cement the day in Chattanooga history. The Bushes were a big get.
But so was the chicken. In the giant-headed, bright-feathered, Muppety world of mascots, he was royalty.
When the Bushes walked into the stadium’s front office, one of the first people they saw was the chicken man himself, Ted Giannoulas. He donned his suit, minus the head.