Pete Bush '99 MBA has a vague idea where the first-place 1982 NCAA National Wrestling Championship medal he won at the University of Iowa can be found.
His undergraduate diploma? "I don't even know," he said.
Ask to see the picture of Pete and his parents, Patricia and John "Jack" Bush '94 (Hon.), on the day the son received his H.L. McLaughlin Master of Business Administration degree, however, and Pete will find that faster than he could execute a double-leg takedown.
Pete was inspired to keep a promise he made to his parents while focusing on wrestling over academics as an undergraduate when he watched Jack Bush receive his honorary degree under the Ambrosian oaks.
"It was so inspiring and beautiful, I decided I really want to make this happen," said Pete, who has joined with six siblings and the 30 grandchildren of Patricia and Jack Bush in supporting a project that touches on three of the family's foremost passions – athletics, St. Ambrose University, and Assumption High School.
This month, Assumption will break ground on Phase II of the St. Vincent's Athletic Complex.
The project will include the construction of a regulation-sized football/soccer field surrounded by a 400-meter all-weather-surface track. In addition, a 500-seat section of bleachers and a small building with a press box will be erected, along with restrooms and a concession stand. Other features include lights and competition areas for field events and jumps.
St. Vincent Athletics Complex
The SVAC is home to the Assumption Knights and the St. Ambrose University Fighting Bees. The complex opened in 2017 with two multi-sport playing fields and a state-of-the-art softball diamond and practice center.
The SVAC is home to the Assumption Knights and the St. Ambrose University Fighting Bees. The complex opened in 2017 with two multi-sport playing fields and a state-of-the-art softball diamond and practice center.
The family of Patricia and Jack Bush is a primary donor to the SVAC because athletics and Catholic education meant so much to their parents. In turn, those have become important causes for their children and their spouses.
The donor group includes: Barbara (Bush) and Mike Johnson, Pete '99 MBA and Julie Bush, Greg and Lori Bush, Larry and Karen Bush, Joseph and Mary "Katie" Bush, Thomas '90 and Susan Bush, Mary (Bush) and Timothy Walsh '08 MBA, and members of the extended McCarthy-Bush family, Frank and Ann McCarthy.
Jack Bush earned his high school diploma from the St. Ambrose Academy in 1948, where he and his two brothers both played football. All three went on to play for the University of Notre Dame, where Jack was a defensive back on an undefeated 1949 national champion Fighting Irish team.
Jack started only his junior season under legendary Coach Frank Leahy, but his hard-nosed approach to the game made an impression on the coach, who referred to Jack Bush in one postseason assessment as "a perfect lad to coach." Leahy (pictured, standing) was in attendance when Patricia and Jack were married in Davenport in 1952.
Five of the Bush children went on to compete in athletics in college.
"Athletics was a huge emphasis by my father," said Joe Bush. "You're going to learn life lessons a lot of ways, but you do it more efficiently through sports."
Patricia and Jack also were lifelong believers in Catholic education. Each of the children were Assumption graduates, as are 28 of the 30 grandchildren. Barbara is a member of the St. Ambrose Board of Trustees, following in her father's footsteps.
"He always had a loyalty to St. Ambrose," Barbara said. "He and our mother were very devoted to Catholic education."
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