Amid all this flowery reminiscing through rose colored glasses I'd like to point out all wasn't butterflies and unicorns during the reign of GHWB. As you read this please remember I am not criticizing the man but rather his performance as president.
GHWB is given kudos for his dropping out of college and joining the navy to go fight in WWII. While this is certainly admirable he was but one of millions of men and women who did the very same thing. He is also given maximum kudos for military heroism but, in fact, he could not save his crew. He was undoubtedly heroic in his choice of military roles but no more or less than a hundred thousand other soldiers. Unlike the others however, they were not transported to lie in state by a nation whose citizens are not old enough to remember the war and have only their families to remember their sacrifice.
In addition to his many years of gubmint service and 8 years as Reagan's VP he apparently didn't learn much about campaigning or public commentary. Although a "nice guy" (as was his president) he was a bit less than a great president. His campaign foibles led to a single term and the military bailed out his legacy as a commander in chief thanks to their accomplishments in the Middle East. It was an expected victory by an overwhelmingly superior military force.
He apparently didn't provide his sons with much introspect in politics because one was a caretaker and the other was a disaster in the identical office. And, although we will never know in our lifetimes, he most likely had a significant hand in the illegal election of GWB. It is good he lived to see the results of that error.
He was born into a charmed life and had every possible advantage that a man of his time could ask for. And he took advantage of virtually all of them. Still, when he reached his pinnacle he was found lacking personally and in his judgement of close friends and advisors.
The presidential bar for presidents hasn't been very high since 1950 and given that comparison GHWB scores reasonably well. But given a wider field to compare to he comes up well short of "great". He was, at best, an average president and unworthy of the over the top adulation the media is guilty of producing.