[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 66 (Tuesday, April 24, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E522]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THE ENFORCER--FIRST LADY BARBARA BUSH

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 24, 2018

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, December of 1941 brought the United 
States into one of the deadliest wars in our history, but it also 
brought together the longest-married presidential couple in U.S. 
History.
  At a dance in Rye, New York, 16-year-old Barbara Pierce, a high 
school junior home on break from her school in South Carolina, caught 
the eye of 17-year-old George Herbert Walker Bush, a high school 
senior.
  Love was in the air, and the two became engaged a year and a half 
later. While George was deployed in the Pacific during the latter 
stages of World War II, he penned letters to his ``darling Bar'' 
expressing the joy that she brought him.
  The couple finally married on January 6, 1945, and for 73 years 
Barbara remained at George's side.
  Barbara was an iconic woman and truly embodied what it meant to be a 
public servant in this country. She stood beside the American people 
through decades of major political events, from the Cold War to the 
terrorist attacks on September 11th, providing a reliable, steady 
presence that never failed to induce calm into those around her.
  She led our nation as First Lady with dignity, grace and more than a 
little bit of wit. She watched two of her sons follow in their father's 
footsteps in bids for the U.S. Presidency and provided invaluable 
support to her son, George W. Bush, during his time in office. As a 
wife and mother of presidents, she taught us all the value of our 
families.
  During her time as wife of the Vice-President and eventually First 
Lady, Barbara Bush became one of our country's greatest advocates for 
education and literacy. She started her own foundation, the Barbara 
Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, in 1989 and her influenced helped 
pass the National Literacy Act into law in 1991. As a result of her 
dedication to this cause, tens of millions of Americans have learned to 
read and write, and several million more were given another opportunity 
to graduate high school.
  While she was not born in Texas, she eventually made the state home 
and forged a special bond with the place and its people. From 
supporting students across Texas and the Houston Metro area, to 
cheering on the Astros with her husband, her good will and magnetic 
personality left an indelible mark upon communities in Texas.
  Mr. Speaker, Barbara Bush died as she lived, a strong Texas woman. 
She will be missed dearly by all Americans, especially those of us from 
Texas.
  And that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________