Barbara Bush, wife of the 41st President and mother of the 43rd President, has died at age 92. She passed surrounded by her family in her Houston, Texas home. Mrs. Bush was known as a strong matriarch of the Bush family and a fierce champion of literacy in the United States. She believed that a love of the written word was fundamentally important for her family and children.
Her son, Neil, was diagnosed with dyslexia; this diagnosis became the catalyst for her lifelong devotion to literacy. His mother invested a lot of time in helping him reach his potential despite his learning disability.
When her husband became Vice President in 1980, she began to use her position of influence to champion literacy issues. She chose family literacy as her cause as First Lady. While many concerns needed improvement at the time, she kept coming back to literacy as the underlying cause of poor conditions. “We could be so much closer to solving so many other problems that our country faces,” she said of improving literacy rates.
In 1989, she established the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. She worked tirelessly to increase access to books and literacy programs for those in need in the United States. The Foundation has worked in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. According to their website, they have donated over $110 million to existing literacy programs, as well as established new programs.
Programs focus on both childhood literacy as well as adult literacy rates. According to data released by the Foundation, “one in four adults cannot read above a 5th grade level, and research shows the single greatest indicator of a child’s future success is the literacy level of his or her parents.”
Grants are available for parents of young children to increase their access to literacy programs. Other resources target toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary-aged children. The goal of these programs is to increase reading levels, a strong indicator of the child’s likeliness to graduate from high school.
Mrs. Bush served as the honorary chair of her Foundation until 2012. Her daughter, Dorothy Bush Koch, succeeded her as chair.
Political Matriarch
Mrs. Bush married George H. W. Bush in 1945. At the time, he was a Naval Officer serving in World War II. At the end of the war, the couple moved to New Haven, Connecticut where George attended Yale University.
They eventually settled in Texas, where the family established a political and business legacy. Her husband entered politics in 1966 when he became a congressman. He was eventually elected as Vice President under President Ronald Reagan and President in 1988. He served one term.
Her oldest son, George W. Bush, also rose to political heights. He became President in 2001 and served two terms. She also campaigned on behalf of her son, Jeb, who served as the governor of Florida and had an unsuccessful Presidential run in 2016.
. @TIME: 'Believe in Something Larger Than Yourself.' Read Barbara Bush's Remarks on Life, Family and Love in Her @Wellesley Commencement Speech https://t.co/Pu9keiFT3o
— Wellesley College (@Wellesley) April 18, 2018
Barbara Bush was one of two women who can say they have been both wife and mother of a President of the United States. The other was Abigail Adams, wife to John Adams and mother to the sixth president, John Quincy Adams.
Her legacy as a family-centered leader lives on in her children and her literacy foundation. She was a fierce advocate of reading, learning, and improving social conditions in the United States through improving literacy.
“Her passion for big ideas will live on through the Foundation, continuing to inspire us as we work toward literacy for all,” Foundation interim CEO Chris Frangione said of Mrs. Bush.
Barbara Bush is survived by her husband, five children, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is predeceased by her daughter, Robin, who died of leukemia in 1953.
