Former President George HW Bush turns 93

(RNN) – Former President George H. W. Bush turned 93 on Monday.

The nation’s 41st president served one term in the Oval Office from 1989 to 1993. He also was vice-president under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1989. He is the father of George W. Bush, America’s 43rd occupant of the White House.

He is enjoying his birthday in Maine with his wife Barbara, who turned 92 on June 8. 

Bush spent some days in the hospital in Texas in the spring, but has since recovered.  He was treated at Methodist Hospital in Houston in April. He had a “mild case of pneumonia,” his spokesman, Jim McGrath, said at the time.  

He is the oldest living former president. Former President Jimmy Carter is 92, and will turn 93 on Oct. 1.

President Barack Obama awarded Bush the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, and recounted his service to the United States.  

“We honor George Herbert Walker Bush for service to America that spanned nearly 70 years. From a decorated Navy pilot who nearly gave his life in World War II to U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; from CIA director to U.S. envoy to China to the vice presidency -- his life is a testament that public service is a noble calling,” Obama said in February of 2011.

The Bush Foundation says admirers of the former president can donate to the Bush School Scholarship Fund in honor of his birthday. The Bush School of Government and Public Service helps promote leadership in government and non-profits, and the gifts, the foundation says, will help graduates complete their education without a big debt burden.

Bush, a former Yale University first baseman, on Friday honored the school’s baseball team after they won the Ivy League, and went to the College World Series. 

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