http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223 A small wedding, a quiet honeymoon. That&rsquo;s all Diane Rutledge expected when then-beau Jerry Bryson proposed last year. Diane and Jerry Bryson pose with President and Laura Bush at the White House in March 2008. The couple were at the White House for Jerry Bryson and Laura Bush&rsquo;s 44th class reunion. They graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, Texas. (Photo courtesy of the Brysons.) It was, after all, the second marriage for both, she having lost her pilot-husband, Phil, in a crop dusting crash; he a widower since wife Debbie died of a brain tumor. A modest celebration, followed by a week in Hawaii. She asked for Maui. He gave her the White House. The couple&rsquo;s plans for a Hawaiian get-away changed abruptly when, just two months before the wedding, Bryson received an invitation from the President and Mrs. Bush to join them March 29 at the White House for the 44th reunion of Robert E. Lee High School, class of 1964. Seems that Bryson and Laura Bush &mdash; Laura Welch, back then &mdash; attended the Midland, Texas high school at the same time, or did until Bryson&rsquo;s folks moved the family to Bakersfield his senior year. Bryson ended up graduating from Bakersfield High School, but left his heart in Midland. Fortunately, he also left a forwarding address. This wasn&rsquo;t the first time Bryson was invited to party with the Bushes &mdash; he and Debbie attended Lee High&rsquo;s &ldquo;33 and a Third&rdquo; class reunion at the Governor&rsquo;s Mansion in Austin, when Bush was governor of Texas. This time, though, the reunion fell on the same weekend Bryson and his bride were scheduled to marry. No problem. The giddy couple, both staunch Republicans, moved their wedding up a week, marrying on March 21. Instead of Maui, they flew to New York, where they spent two days before heading to Washington, D.C. It turned out to be the trip and time of their lives. The Brysons spent five days in the nation&rsquo;s capitol, arriving at the White House in time for a Friday night pre-party and a grand entrance by Bush via presidential helicopter on the South Lawn. Not all in the crowd of onlookers were there for the reunion. Some, like U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, whom Bryson noticed standing at his elbow, was there with his family for movie night with the president. At least that&rsquo;s what he told Bryson. The newlyweds met with the Bushes the following day in the opulent Diplomatic Reception Room, where presidents routinely greet foreign dignitaries, prime ministers and potentates. The Brysons quickly posed with the First Couple for a formal portrait, a nerve racking moment, at least for Diane. &ldquo;All I could think about was I had my arm around the president of the United States,&rdquo; she says. Once photos were taken &mdash; the Bushes posed with each of the few hundred guests in attendance &mdash; the party was on. The classmates danced to the music of the Jelly Rolls, reportedly Mrs. Bush&rsquo;s favorite band, and feasted on a Texas spread of hors d&rsquo;oeuvres like mini cheeseburgers, small slices of pizza, diminutive chicken fried steaks and tiny pecan pies. Taxpayers counting the cost can relax. Attendees paid their own way, $150 a head. It was a bargain, said the Cinderella couple, who, for one evening of their already memorable honeymoon, reveled in the grandeur and history of what is arguably the world&rsquo;s most famous residence. And chatting up the leader of the free world wasn&rsquo;t bad either, Jerry said. &ldquo;After we finished with the pictures, I turned to the president, looked at Diane and said, &lsquo;I did pretty good, didn&rsquo;t I,&rsquo;&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Bush smiled and gave me the thumbs up and said, &lsquo;You sure did.&rsquo;&rdquo; A small wedding, a quiet honeymoon. That&rsquo;s all Diane Rutledge expected when then-beau Jerry Bryson proposed last year. Diane and Jerry Bryson pose with President and Laura Bush at the White House in March 2008. The couple were at the White House for Jerry Bryson and Laura Bush&rsquo;s 44th class reunion. They graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, Texas. (Photo courtesy of the Brysons.) It was, after all, the second marriage for both, she having lost her pilot-husband, Phil, in a crop dusting crash; he a widower since wife Debbie died of a brain tumor. A modest celebration, followed by a week in Hawaii. She asked for Maui. He gave her the White House. The couple&rsquo;s plans for a Hawaiian get-away changed abruptly when, just two months before the wedding, Bryson received an invitation from the President and Mrs. Bush to join them March 29 at the White House for the 44th reunion of Robert E. Lee High School, class of 1964. Seems that Bryson and Laura Bush &mdash; Laura Welch, back then &mdash; attended the Midland, Texas high school at the same time, or did until Bryson&rsquo;s folks moved the family to Bakersfield his senior year. Bryson ended up graduating from Bakersfield High School, but left his heart in Midland. Fortunately, he also left a forwarding address. This wasn&rsquo;t the first time Bryson was invited to party with the Bushes &mdash; he and Debbie attended Lee High&rsquo;s &ldquo;33 and a Third&rdquo; class reunion at the Governor&rsquo;s Mansion in Austin, when Bush was governor of Texas. This time, though, the reunion fell on the same weekend Bryson and his bride were scheduled to marry. No problem. The giddy couple, both staunch Republicans, moved their wedding up a week, marrying on March 21. Instead of Maui, they flew to New York, where they spent two days before heading to Washington, D.C. It turned out to be the trip and time of their lives. The Brysons spent five days in the nation&rsquo;s capitol, arriving at the White House in time for a Friday night pre-party and a grand entrance by Bush via presidential helicopter on the South Lawn. Not all in the crowd of onlookers were there for the reunion. Some, like U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, whom Bryson noticed standing at his elbow, was there with his family for movie night with the president. At least that&rsquo;s what he told Bryson. The newlyweds met with the Bushes the following day in the opulent Diplomatic Reception Room, where presidents routinely greet foreign dignitaries, prime ministers and potentates. The Brysons quickly posed with the First Couple for a formal portrait, a nerve racking moment, at least for Diane. &ldquo;All I could think about was I had my arm around the president of the United States,&rdquo; she says. Once photos were taken &mdash; the Bushes posed with each of the few hundred guests in attendance &mdash; the party was on. The classmates danced to the music of the Jelly Rolls, reportedly Mrs. Bush&rsquo;s favorite band, and feasted on a Texas spread of hors d&rsquo;oeuvres like mini cheeseburgers, small slices of pizza, diminutive chicken fried steaks and tiny pecan pies. Taxpayers counting the cost can relax. Attendees paid their own way, $150 a head. It was a bargain, said the Cinderella couple, who, for one evening of their already memorable honeymoon, reveled in the grandeur and history of what is arguably the world&rsquo;s most famous residence. And chatting up the leader of the free world wasn&rsquo;t bad either, Jerry said. &ldquo;After we finished with the pictures, I turned to the president, looked at Diane and said, &lsquo;I did pretty good, didn&rsquo;t I,&rsquo;&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Bush smiled and gave me the thumbs up and said, &lsquo;You sure did.&rsquo;&rdquo; en-us <p>How cool to get an up close and personal look at the White House.</p> <p>It's funny to me, being a West Texas Girl myself (Big Spring, is only 36 miles from Midland), that Midland looks almost like Bakersfield, except for the hills and palm trees.&nbsp; My dad's new wife lived right up the street from Laura Welch's parent's house.&nbsp;</p> <p>My sister still lives in Midland.&nbsp; Small world.&nbsp; Lots of people here in town came from that area....</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265433 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265433 <p>How cool to get an up close and personal look at the White House.</p> <p>It's funny to me, being a West Texas Girl myself (Big Spring, is only 36 miles from Midland), that Midland looks almost like Bakersfield, except for the hills and palm trees.&nbsp; My dad's new wife lived right up the street from Laura Welch's parent's house.&nbsp;</p> <p>My sister still lives in Midland.&nbsp; Small world.&nbsp; Lots of people here in town came from that area....</p> <p>Good ole Jerry.  He's everywhere.  I've known him since I was a kid.  Diana and her late husband were my neighbors.  My youngest went to school with her son.  They both had tragic stories and when they got together, everyone knew it would have a happy ending.  God Bless Them.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265474 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265474 <p>Good ole Jerry.  He's everywhere.  I've known him since I was a kid.  Diana and her late husband were my neighbors.  My youngest went to school with her son.  They both had tragic stories and when they got together, everyone knew it would have a happy ending.  God Bless Them.</p> <p>That was darn nice of Laura Bush, but then I think she must be a really nice woman.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265479 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265479 <p>That was darn nice of Laura Bush, but then I think she must be a really nice woman.</p> <p>My family is from the Midland/Odessa area and some of them, at one time, farmed the land where the&nbsp;freeway&nbsp;runs between Dallas and Ft. Worth.&nbsp; LOL..I never made it to the White House though.&nbsp; Nor even the Governers Mansion.&nbsp; Ahhhh, West Texas.&nbsp; What a sight.</p> <p>That must have been a special time for all concerned.&nbsp; It's nice to know that Laura Bush stays in touch with classmates.</p> <p>(Disclaimer:&nbsp; I've never really lived in TX with my family.&nbsp; Only spent 3 months there when ex was OJT at Ft. Hood.)</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265509 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265509 <p>My family is from the Midland/Odessa area and some of them, at one time, farmed the land where the&nbsp;freeway&nbsp;runs between Dallas and Ft. Worth.&nbsp; LOL..I never made it to the White House though.&nbsp; Nor even the Governers Mansion.&nbsp; Ahhhh, West Texas.&nbsp; What a sight.</p> <p>That must have been a special time for all concerned.&nbsp; It's nice to know that Laura Bush stays in touch with classmates.</p> <p>(Disclaimer:&nbsp; I've never really lived in TX with my family.&nbsp; Only spent 3 months there when ex was OJT at Ft. Hood.)</p> <p>All of us Texas girls have been raised to be nice women.&nbsp;&nbsp; U R&nbsp; correct&nbsp; Mrs B is above and beyond nice.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265510 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265510 <p>All of us Texas girls have been raised to be nice women.&nbsp;&nbsp; U R&nbsp; correct&nbsp; Mrs B is above and beyond nice.</p> <p>A couple interesting facts I was unable to squeeze into the column - Jerry Bryson was also a classmate and friend of the actor Tommy Lee Jones (a year younger than Bryson) and once played high school football against Gen. Tommy Franks.</p> <p> </p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265550 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265550 <p>A couple interesting facts I was unable to squeeze into the column - Jerry Bryson was also a classmate and friend of the actor Tommy Lee Jones (a year younger than Bryson) and once played high school football against Gen. Tommy Franks.</p> <p> </p> <p>Lotsa wide open spaces in West Texas. My mom was born in El Paso, but they moved to Missouri shortly after.</p> <p>My dad and I drove from San Diego to San Antonio in a VW in 1977. It didn't look that far on the map. I haven't been back.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265602 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265602 <p>Lotsa wide open spaces in West Texas. My mom was born in El Paso, but they moved to Missouri shortly after.</p> <p>My dad and I drove from San Diego to San Antonio in a VW in 1977. It didn't look that far on the map. I haven't been back.</p> <p>Being raised in Texas I never knew how tiny all those other states were.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was amazed how quickly I could pass through so many states when I drove a van towing a speed boat from New Orleans to New York City.&nbsp; It seemed like every couple of hours I was in a new state.&nbsp; And I don't mean confusion or denial.&nbsp; Here is a fun web site to test your USA geography skills.</p> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"><a title="http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/states_experiment_drag-drop_Intermed_State15s_500.html" target="_blank" href="http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/states_experiment_drag-drop_Intermed_State15s_500.html"><font title="http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/states_experiment_drag-drop_Intermed_State15s_500.htmlCTRL + Click to follow link" face="Times New Roman" size="3">http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/states_experiment_drag-drop_Intermed_State15s_500.html</font></a></font></div> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265623 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265623 <p>Being raised in Texas I never knew how tiny all those other states were.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was amazed how quickly I could pass through so many states when I drove a van towing a speed boat from New Orleans to New York City.&nbsp; It seemed like every couple of hours I was in a new state.&nbsp; And I don't mean confusion or denial.&nbsp; Here is a fun web site to test your USA geography skills.</p> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"><a title="http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/states_experiment_drag-drop_Intermed_State15s_500.html" target="_blank" href="http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/states_experiment_drag-drop_Intermed_State15s_500.html"><font title="http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/states_experiment_drag-drop_Intermed_State15s_500.htmlCTRL + Click to follow link" face="Times New Roman" size="3">http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/states_experiment_drag-drop_Intermed_State15s_500.html</font></a></font></div> <p>Grandson once worked for a paper supplier in CT and set him up an appt in the morning in Los Angeles and one in early afternoon in Reno.&nbsp; They didn't get the concept that not all the US is like the Eastern Seaboard or the L.A. Basin.</p> <p>Driving across TX is an experience every one should have.&nbsp; When your kids ask &quot;are we there yet?&quot; they're really asking if you've made the border of&nbsp;LA.&nbsp;from NM yet.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265685 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265685 <p>Grandson once worked for a paper supplier in CT and set him up an appt in the morning in Los Angeles and one in early afternoon in Reno.&nbsp; They didn't get the concept that not all the US is like the Eastern Seaboard or the L.A. Basin.</p> <p>Driving across TX is an experience every one should have.&nbsp; When your kids ask &quot;are we there yet?&quot; they're really asking if you've made the border of&nbsp;LA.&nbsp;from NM yet.</p> <p><span style="font-size: larger">Nice story in the paper, but the headline read: <b>Couple Surprised by White House Wedding</b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: larger">But they weren't <i>married </i>at the White House!!!!!!</span></p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265724 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265724 <p><span style="font-size: larger">Nice story in the paper, but the headline read: <b>Couple Surprised by White House Wedding</b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: larger">But they weren't <i>married </i>at the White House!!!!!!</span></p> <p>&quot;The sun has rize, the sun has set, and I ain't thru Texas yet...&quot; don't know who first said it, but I did a couple of times in the four years I drove cross-country. In that time, I visited (drove thru, at the least) 43 of the lower 48. Only missed CT, NH, VT, RI and MA... You can blow thru 5-6 states a day easy when on the eastern seaboard. Looks fun in the old logbooks ;-) not so much in real life.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265744 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265744 <p>&quot;The sun has rize, the sun has set, and I ain't thru Texas yet...&quot; don't know who first said it, but I did a couple of times in the four years I drove cross-country. In that time, I visited (drove thru, at the least) 43 of the lower 48. Only missed CT, NH, VT, RI and MA... You can blow thru 5-6 states a day easy when on the eastern seaboard. Looks fun in the old logbooks ;-) not so much in real life.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;The stars are bright in the skys tonight&quot;</p> <p>&quot;DEEP in the heart of Texas.&quot;</p> <p>Where is the heart of Texas, anyway.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265754 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265754 <p>&quot;The stars are bright in the skys tonight&quot;</p> <p>&quot;DEEP in the heart of Texas.&quot;</p> <p>Where is the heart of Texas, anyway.</p> <p>Your poem is from an old Route 66 sign.&nbsp; See the site here.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.legendsofamerica.com/66-TexasMain.html">http://www.legendsofamerica.com/66-TexasMain.html</a></p> <p>Cool site.&nbsp; I love all the Route 66 stuff.&nbsp; I have a postcard that was my folks of a wooden highway across the sand dunes somewhere out there.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265758 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265758 <p>Your poem is from an old Route 66 sign.&nbsp; See the site here.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.legendsofamerica.com/66-TexasMain.html">http://www.legendsofamerica.com/66-TexasMain.html</a></p> <p>Cool site.&nbsp; I love all the Route 66 stuff.&nbsp; I have a postcard that was my folks of a wooden highway across the sand dunes somewhere out there.</p> <p>Thanks Nancy, now I know from whence it came...</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265768 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_265768 <p>Thanks Nancy, now I know from whence it came...</p> <p>4113.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_269142 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/29223/#c_269142 <p>4113.</p>