Magnolia parents explain keeping children out of school to bid farewell to Bush 41

MAGNOLIA, Texas (KTRK) -- Onlookers in Magnolia lined the streets to watch for the special train carrying President George H.W. Bush.

Among the crowd was Nancy Wallace, who says this is the second presidential train she's seen.

Wallace says her dad took her to see President Dwight Eisenhower's train over 50 years ago.

"He said that we would remember more going to Eisenhower and the train, than what we would learn in school that day," Wallace recalled.

Many parents shared the same idea, including Danica Vossigh, who brought her children to pay their respects.

"I just kept her home," Vossigh said. "It's one of those things you can tell other generations. Just a part of American history."

Many families say that they know this piece of history will be an important memory for their family.

"I want the parents to know how important it is, and they are doing the right thing by taking their kids out of school," Wallace said.