Been with the family through these days. Actually with his now late grandfather when he died at the end of last week on friday. An honorary pallbearer, who says he was the worlds greatest grandfather and reminds us all we dont want to mourn, we want to celebrate, and we will speak with him in just a moment. In about two and a half hours, i think harris probably mentioned this train ride down to College Station, this was expected to be assertive typical houston day with temperatures around 70 and partly cloudy skies. As is so often the case in this part of texas, the weather really does what the weather wants to do, and it has become a very cloudy, overcast, drivel dumb i could drizzle off and on every couple of hours kind of day. Pierce bush, his grandson, is on the line with us now. It is an honor to have us with you, and thank you for spending some time with us. It is an honor to be here. Thank you for having me. Shepard i know you were with your grandfather when he died, and i know how much it meant to him to have the family there. How was your Family Holding up . You know, its been an emotional moment. We all know that he is in a much better place, reunited with our grandmother and his daughter, robin, so we are happy for that. But we also i think are realizing that he was an amazing grandfather, father to others. And you know, the fact that there is a sadness about it, a selfish sadness, but he was just an awesome guy. Always kind, always loving. Always thinking about other people. Hes just the worlds best grandfather. Couldnt imagine a better man for a grandfather. Shepard as you are now on the move, i wonder if some of the fondest memories, the pictures of the family and their grandkids all gathered around, i dont know about everybody else, but it feels like an everyday family to me, the thing that might have happened at anybodys house. Yeah, i think because my grandfather was president and my uncle was present obviously, we are political family. But people who have visited us are surprised, maybe even disappointed at the lack of political discussion. Like any family, we are about sports. Theres a lot of talk about love, about what everyone is doing. Definitely my grandfathers favorite spot over the years. He wanted to go there every summer. Its where he proposed to my grandmother. During world war ii, it is just a really special place. Its just an awesome place to b be. Shepard and i read about where you talk about really fond memories from camp david. Yes, he loved going to camp david. He loved going there at christmas time. By going to camp david, he was able to give the secret Service Agents a break. So he went out of kindness. Typical george w. Bush. Putting someone else first. Thinking about others. Thinking about those Young Secret Service and dominic agents. He invited them to go. Volleyball was a sport he played often there. And again, another great spot that he was always looking at. It was very special for us. Shepard well thank you for sharing your stories with us. We appreciate it. Enjoy your day. Many happy returns to you and all of yours. Pierce, thank you. Thanks, shep. I appreciate it. Shepard much more from College Station ahead in the afternoon. Once the train arrives, internment will be a Family Affair and without cameras. Just as George Herbert walker bush wanted. But the Union Pacific train of the george w. Bush library has left the station, and by 3 15, 3 30 texas time, he will be at his final resting place. There will be continuing coverage on Fox News Channel and more later if you are watching on a Fox Television station. Im shepard smith. Fox news at st. Martin church in houston. And our coverage continues on Fox News Channel. Hes in spring, texas, where the train just left the station. Hey, shepard. Yes, 70 miles exactly from this location up to College Station, just as you reported. About two and half hours. Its going to take a little bit longer to get there because they are intentionally going to slow down as the train goes through some smaller texas towns in between spring and College Station. We have a map for you to show where the train route is actually headed. And boy, oh, boy, we have seen people braving the cold and braving the rain in some locations, already camping out and some of those little towns. They could make their way down to houston and be a part of the celebration and the farewell today, but they are going to get a chance to see the president and a piece of history ride by as this train passes through their town. What a powerful moment it was. America the beautiful was playing. The casket was playing out the back of that hearse one more time. Carrying them to the funeral car. Placed inside. After it was loaded, we saw the plexiglass window unveiled. And that is really interesting because that is how the public is getting involved in this final little leg of his farewell tour, if you will. The train car, where the casket is being carried, has a giant plexiglass window on both sides. There is even lighting we understand. To illuminated. So its very easy for people who are gathering on the interstates and freeways and on the bridges who want to see it. And then the car immediately following the funeral car, that is where the immediate family is. George w. Bush, jed, neil. And then the cars behind those, more and more family. What i want to point out so many anecdotes from the president , and the planning of all of the celebrations as we have been talking about his life and legacy of when they first approached the president and wanted to talk planning of the funeral, he didnt want any part of its apparently. But then they kind of joke that as time went on, that he kind of micromanaged a little bit. Ideas here and there that he thought would be good. We understand that this train ride was something that he had his special touch on, down to selecting the meal personally about the family is going to be enjoying on that two and a half hour train ride up to College Station. Again, shepard, just so much pomp and circumstance with this. We know that president bush loved formality, as this is something that is just so formal and so powerful as we say goodbye to this great man. Shepard it really is, kc. I love these pictures along the route here. People with their kids and stuff, taking pictures. Saluting the late president. His friends are very much in a celebratory mood. And i think that is a nod to him. He was obviously in failing health. Man, woman, child, for that matter, their belief is that he is and a better place. Something that someone said to me a little while ago, he and barbara are getting a kick out of this train ride. And you are a bit about how they had chosen the meal for the family was one that was kind of jokes about around here in the most loving way you could imagine. His wife had planned her own funeral, which was at this same church about eight months ago. And they were special touches of her all along the way, and the same thing today. So many people have said george w. Bush was always about the little details, not about things of great expense or that required a lot of show. But he was always good about the very little touches within individual people. That meant a lot to his friends and neighbors, around the library, you see the American Flag there on the side of the train route. They come out all over this land, you said theyre going to go pretty slowly. Two and a half hours to go about 70 miles. The thinking was that it would be a nice, easy day. See where all of the cars are stopped, it looks like there is a Fire Department up there. They had expected that it would be mostly sunny partly cloudy sunny skies. A little bit below 70 degrees. There is a chill in the air. We wouldnt consider it so. They would end in around here it is a little chilly. Yet they, in big numbers, nonetheless. Our next guest served in the White House Press office when george w. Bush was Vice President. And then he moved it to the oval office. President bush named Christian Clark taylor white house director of Media Relations. A live with us now. So good to talk to you, thank you. Thank you for having me, shepard. Shepard you were the first africanamerican in that job in american history. That was a heady thing at that time, its my understanding. Tell me about how george w. Bush felt about you and your time together. Well, i think what he felt was a friendship. It certainly what i felt. Its a friendship that evolved over time, and i think its resulted primarily in my own grief when i lost my mother, when our friendship finally started to really blossom. He has always been a faithful friend, and i will miss him tremendously. Shepard Media Relations director for people who dont know, that is a pretty big job. You have to deal with folks like us, keep the message as the white house would like it. How involved was he and that part of things back in the day . That was the beauty of it. The White House Press corps of course, as you know, pretty constant access to the president and into the oval office. The office of Media Relations, which i ran, it really was responsible for making sure that the media outside of the white house had access to him. On a fairly regular basis. That was important to him to be able to convey his message and to invite the media and to the oval office on a regular basis outside of the white house. Personally important to him. Shepard sometimes you get more of a local sort of feel. I dont know, a different tone for people who arent in those halls on a daily basis. I know that was something that was helpful for the message spreading, which is something that every white house wants to do. Absolutely. It was a vehicle for which we could spread our message. It was something that he also wanted to do. He wanted to hear from state and local reporters. He wanted to hear from specialty reporters, people who dont normally and consistently get that kind of access, that was important to him, which made me proud as a former journalist. I think its that spirit of accessibility in the oval office was something about the media appreciated too if you have shepard there were some very stressful times during his presidency. Where Media Relations and the rest were very important. How did he handle those times of extraordinary stress . Its interesting, and i have been asked that question a lot in the last couple of days whether or not he handle stress differently as Vice President then he did as president , and the beauty of it, the beautiful consistency of it is that he stayed exactly the same. He handled stress with dignity and with grace and with kind of an analytical calm that really, i was honored to have witnessed. And i drew personally from watching him. I would like to say that he was a mindful man, a mindful president. He was able to pause and reflect and contemplate, surround himself with folks who knew in many instances more than he did. And he listens carefully. Didnt mean that he was not able to exact swift and sure decisions about things. It just meant that he was able to pause and to contemplate. And i think that that speaks largely not just to him as a leader, but to the content of his character. Shepard Christian Clark taylor, such a pleasure to speak with you. Thanks, shepard. I appreciate it. Shepard Rick Leventhal is here in houston at the church for the ceremony today. Rick, i dont know if you had an absolute front seat when the military band played as the former president s casket came up. It was an extremely moving moment. Im getting chills remembering it. It was pretty awesome to be here and see that happen. The family gathered to witness it all. George w and his wife, laura, and the brothers and their families. You know, the honor guard. We have seen them get a lot of work in, and they did it again flawless. This was a remarkable ceremony, shepard. As im sure you would agree. We heard a lot of interesting stories, including one that i had never heard before from the reverend about how george w. Bush, one of the days that he came to the church, he and barbara were members of the search for more than 50 years. Saw an usher who looked cold, and he took off his coat. He gave it to the usher. How many people would give their coach to somebody, let alone a former president , but thats the kind of man that george w. Bush was, shepard. Shepard rick, thank you. The train is still being greeted by people on the side of the road. Such an interesting thing that they decided to send it through little towns. It is not the track that you would normally make on a train trip from houston to College Station. They went through a lot of little towns that were important to the president. And you can see that it comes to a complete stop on a grizzly thursday afternoon. Getting a glimpse of the train of the george w. Bush library, making this final trip with the president s body inside. We will have much more coverage as the train arrives in College Station, and we will update you on the rest of the news today on Fox News Channel. Ur money right into the harbor. Im gonna regret that. With Liberty Mutual new car replacement, well replace the full value of your car. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. 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You can all see the casket as you saw a little while ago. The plexiglass there, you see a lot of people huddling under. As we mentioned repeatedly, its a little drizzly, but not too bad. Awaiting the arrival of president bush the 41st. Alicia, over to you. Shepard hi, shepard. This is a family that has lived by a code of public service, and for decades, they have devoted themselves to the citizens of the country and it to world. The passing of george w. Bush, everyone participated and celebrating his life and mourning his loss. Here at College Station on the campus of texas of texas a m, this will be a private moment. And i can give you a little bit of a preview of what we are going to see. They will form that is to the left of me. It is difficult to see, but we will see it a little bit later. The entire line of cars will form behind me, and we will ask to be quiet at that point. The George Bush Library and museum, and they will head behind that area where the trees are. They will head back into there, and that is where we will will be able to see a part of the final goodbye ceremony here at texas and a m. And that is where the final ceremonies will take place and they will say their goodbyes. Shepard we will get a little look at that. I did, with permission. It is very quiet. Its quite beautiful. Something that they designed themselves. They did spend a lot of time here on the campus of texas a m. You can see that their small pond, you can walk around it. Absolutely beautiful. That picture does not do it justice, but the area there, there is a walkway where the cars will stop and everyone will get out, and of the bridge will go to the open line area to the gravesite, which is close, but actually open to the public for the passing. But it is worth the walk back there because it is beautiful and you can just really feel the power and the love that this couple had. Shepard. Shepard alecia, thank you so much. We will be back with her when the train gets there. Special assistant for the president ial personnel to mr. Bush. He has been at the events over the last few days. We were talking a little while ago about how even in death, he leads by example. No question. The last few days have been a great time to reflect personally for me and for all of those who had the privilege to serve, im just so honored to not only have served our country, but this president , beginning to realize that he had a great presidency, but also reflecting on the timing. The timing is interesting. He often said the lord works in mysterious ways. I have been thinking about the timing of all of this, at a time when our country has so much division, maybe this was exactly the right time, and the lord is magnifying the example of George Herbert walker bush precisely at a time when we needed the most. Shepard it has given us a break from the daytoday, and something to which we can look and aspire. Absolutely. He would have loved to this. Is who he is. Hes not a divider, hes a uniter. That was the mantra of his personality and dna. And i think weve been seeing about the last few days. It is very gratifying for those of us who have known him and loves him so very much. To see everyone rallying around his presidency, the way that we have seen at the last few days. Shepard who carries on now . Obviously the patriarch of the family now is george w. Bush. I wonder if there is going to be more to come. There is a lot of talent in that family. Peers, so many Outstanding Young men and women in that family who are serving in so many