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AUSTIN, Texas — When Jenna Bush graduates from the University of Texas Saturday, her father will miss the pomp and circumstance.
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President Bush and first lady Laura Bush have decided to skip their 22-year-old twin daughters’ graduations because their presence and that of White House security would be disruptive, aides say.
Jenna Bush will get a degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin. Her twin sister, Barbara, will pick up a degree in humanities Monday from Yale, her father’s Alma Mater.
The family will celebrate with private dinners.
Giving a commencement speech at Louisiana State University on Friday, Bush said it feels “really good” to be writing the last tuition check. But he added: “It also feels like the last 20 years or so went by awfully fast.”
The sisters have mostly stayed out of the limelight while in college, except for a highly publicized incident in May 2001, when authorities accused the then-19-year-old sisters of having drinks at a Mexican restaurant in Austin.
Barbara pleaded no contest to underage possession of alcohol and was ordered to perform eight hours of community service and attend alcohol-awareness class.
Jenna was fined $600 for trying to use a false ID, her second alcohol-related offense. She lost her driver’s license for 30 days, had to do more community service and attend an alcohol-awareness class.
After graduation, the sisters plan to travel with friends, then help with their father’s re-election campaign, said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for Laura Bush.
A visit to Africa has inspired Barbara to work with AIDS sufferers, he said, while Jenna is interested in following her mother’s career in education.
© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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