Significant push for a Deaf president, however, came when Jerry C. Lee, who had been president since 1984, resigned in 1987. In the months following Lee’s resignation, Gallaudet's Board of Trustees looked at candidates for the next president; during this time, several organizations campaigned for a Deaf president. These organizations wrote letters to the board recommending qualified deaf candidates and reached out to the media to gain support. People such as Vice-President George H. W. Bush and Senators Bob Dole, Bob Graham, Tom Harkin, and Lowell Weicker wrote letter endorsements for the cause. Efforts during this time were unsuccessful in garnering a powerful and unified student backing for a Deaf president.