Wednesday, Sept. 18, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
Bush is in the Elko area for the grand opening of Barrick Gold Corp.'s $180 million Miekle Mine.
Some 700 students welcomed him on Tuesday as he passed through Spring Creek, hoping for a wave, according to Principal Joe DeBraga.
Instead, the former president directed his entourage of Nevada Highway Patrol troopers and secret service agents onto campus.
The students waved a homemade banner and presented Bush with a Spartan cap and matching jacket. Bush responded with a five-minute off-the-cuff speech.
He told them to "take care of business" by "working hard and staying out of trouble."
He then signed autographs and posed for pictures before being whisked off in a black Cadillac to finish the trip to Lamoille where he's staying at an exclusive ranch-resort.
Two more prominent names in politics were scheduled to greet an assembly at the school today.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Howard Baker, former chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan, are Barrick board members.
Barrick will officially open the Miekle Mine on Saturday.
The operation in the heart of the Carlin Trend is scheduled to produce more than 400,000 ounces of gold per year, making it the largest underground producer in the United States.
It is centered around an 18-foot diameter shaft in an area that is estimated to contain more than 6.5 million ounces of gold.
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