Future Looks Bright, Bush Tells Youths, but Reagan’s Shoes Will Be ‘Hard to Fill’

George Bush, on the eve of his inauguration as the nation’s 41st President, spoke today of his optimism about the future but also expressed his feeling that President Reagan’s “shoes are going to be pretty darn hard to fill.”

Bush told a group of top high school students that his mission is “to help build a better America,” and he appealed for their help.

The President-elect, who was to spend most of the day out of the public eye until his appearance at a nationally televised evening gala, said at a youth inaugural forum, “I really feel this: Our best days are yet to come.”

He also was to bid a private farewell today to the man who he said helped make it all possible.

“It won’t be too easy,” Bush said of what could be his final private moment with Reagan before taking the oath of office.

The students cheered when Bush said: “Our American optimism about the future is legendary and perhaps no one better personifies that than a President named Ronald Reagan, whose shoes are going to be pretty darn hard to fill.

“I can’t predict all the twists and the turns that you’ll see in your lives, nor can I as President prepare you for them, but this I do pledge: that I will do all in my power to help you to help yourselves prepare for a brighter future.”

He joked that “I certainly learned the importance of education during the campaign. I learned how vital it is to memorize dates--Pearl Harbor day, for example.”

That was a reference to Bush’s campaign gaffe in which he told an American Legion audience that the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was Sept. 7. He quickly corrected himself to the actual day, Dec. 7.

He made a new mix-up today, promising that his inaugural speech won’t be too long and recalling that one President--Benjamin Harrison, he said--died from pneumonia after giving a very lengthy inaugural speech in bitterly cold weather. Actually, that President was William Henry Harrison.

As Bush made his entrance to the stage, Rep. Lynn Martin (R-Ill.) tripped on a step and had to be helped by Bush and an aide. “She will do anything to upstage the President-elect of the United States,” Bush joked.

But then he praised Martin, a longtime supporter, saying, “I’m proud to have her at my side, standing or falling.”