Friends Richard Bush of North Carolina, a distant relative of the president,and Liisa Ullman of Billings, Montana were in Washington, DC, for this year¹s Presidential inauguration in January. The ³Billings Gazette² made Ullman front-page news on January 25th for attending not only the parade, but also 3 inaugural balls. (In comparison, President George W. Bush made it to 10 balls of the some 20 organized in the capital). An unexpected encounter with outgoing Attorney General John Ashcroft, who was out shovelling snow when Liisa and friends bumped into him, provided a human contact highlight.

Liisa is a former Torontonian who spent a year in high school in North Carolina, where her father lives, to make it easier to attend University in the States. She is a former government teacher - who made a point of remaining unbiased in the classroom - and head of Billings¹ Central High
School social studies department, now a stay-at-home mom and the treasurer of the Yellowstone Republican Women. A self-described political junkie, Liisa deems it important to mention that she is an ³independent² - she does not adhere to the line of either main party 100%. She noted that the money gained from the ticket sales of many of the inaugural balls and parties went to non-profit organizations such as those working toward providing aid for the victims of the tsunami or to help the families of soldiers fighting in Iraq. Mainstream press often failed to mention this in their coverage.
Liisa is headed to the West Coast Estonian Days in Harrison Hot Springs with her daughter this July, and hopes to see many of her Toronto friends there!

Photo: Doris Bush

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