President H.W. Bush honored wife with 'crazy socks'
President George H.W. Bush honored his late wife’s passion for literacy by wearing socks with books on them to her funeral last weekend.
The socks were a gift from 22-year-old John Cronin, an entrepreneur with Down syndrome who serves as the co-founder and “Chief Happiness Officer” of John’s Crazy Socks.
Cronin had previously learned President H.W. Bush has an affinity for fun socks and sent him a box of the colorful socks. The president tweeted a photo of himself wearing a pair of Cronin’s Down syndrome awareness superhero socks on World Down Syndrome Day and thanked the young entrepreneur.
After the first lady passed away, Bush contacted Cronin to see if John’s Crazy Socks had any socks he could wear on the day of the funeral. Cronin sent him a few pairs to choose from, including the book socks, along with a letter expressing his sympathy.
"I feel sad for President Bush, but I feel happy that he wore my socks," Cronin told ABC affiliate WABC in New York. "I want him to feel happy."
Founded in 2016, John’s Crazy Socks said they donate five percent of profits to the Special Olympics and hire people with disabilities, currently employing a workforce that’s half people with alternative abilities.
The company said 100 percent of the proceeds from the book socks will go to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, a nonprofit organization Barbara Bush started while she served as First Lady.
