Bush’s Book-Themed Socks Gift From Young Guy With Down Syndrome

The nation was watching as former President George H.W. Bush honored his late wife, Barbara, by wearing a pair of book-themed socks during her private funeral over the weekend. He is known for his affinity for fancy footwear and the socks, decorated with colorful books, were a nod to the former first lady’s passion for literacy.

The socks were a gift from John Cronin, a 22-year-old man with Down syndrome who started a business called John’s Crazy Socks with his dad. The company sells more than 1,200 types of colorful and fun socks and donates 5% of their profits to the Special Olympics.

Mr. Bush has worn John’s socks before and he’s a fan, so when his office contacted the company to ask for a pair to wear to his wife’s funeral, John was happy to rush a box of book-themed socks to Houston for him. "It made me feel sad and I cried because he lost his wife," John told CBS News. "But it made me feel good, too, because I wanted the socks to make President Bush feel better. I wanted the socks to make him happy."