When former Chautauqua County executive Jack Glenzer asked then-Republican Election commissioner Terry Niebel if he too wanted to meet George H.W. Bush...

"What time do we leave? Just pick me up, I'm ready to go,” said Niebel.

The two headed to the Jamestown airport and greeted then-vice president Bush after he stepped on to the tarmac from aboard Air Force Two in December 1985.

"I remember Mr. Bush saying how many people live in Chautauqua County, and honestly for just a second or two, I went blank,” said Niebel. “And he kind of smiled and he said, ‘Well how are the elections going here in Chautauqua County?’ And we talked about the elections for a few seconds."

Niebel says they then joked with Bush about the length of the runway being shorter than what he's used to.

"Aw, he said, ‘This is an old Air Force Colonel. He could land this plane on a half-dollar,’" said Niebel.

Bush then left the airport to attend political events in nearby Bradford and Warren, Pennsylvania.

Former GOP Northwest Caucus chairman Ash Khare was at that Warren rally, and attended Bush's presidential inauguration.

He also got the chance to speak with President Bush during a trip to Harrisburg, P.A.

"That was a totally awesome experience. So, I have had good interaction with the gentleman. He was awesome. But the greatest thing about George Bush is his basic humanity. He was so humble. He was like a regular common guy who was there to serve you,” said Khare.

It's that down-to-earth approach that Niebel says left an impression he'll never forget.

"He was just a real nice, warm, friendly guy, funny. When you were talking to him, it was just like talking to the person next to you in the checkout line at a grocery store. It's just something that happens once in a lifetime and I will remember that for the rest of my life,” said Niebel.