Indeed, one of her final jokes she made came at the expense of her son, former US president George W Bush, in which she told a doctor that he “is the way he is” because she “drank and smoked when (she) was pregnant with him.”
We also enjoyed learning more about her legendary commencement speech, that she gave way back in 1990. Three seperate networks halted regular programming to broadcast the speech. At the time, as the Washington Post put it, the atmosphere carried a “potent mix of feminist tension and Cold War politics.”
The speech brought in plenty of protesters, especially given Alice Walker had been invited but declined the invitation. Many questioned why Bush, who hold dropped out of university at 19 in order to marry, had been asked in the first place. A signed petition had circulated at the time, noting that: “To honor Barbara Bush as a commencement speaker is to honor a woman who has gained recognition through the achievements of her husband, which contravenes what we have been taught over the last four years at Wellesley.”
But Bush’s speech surprised many in the crowd, particularly in its delivery, and especially via one memorable line.
“And who knows?” she told the crowd of mostly women. “Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow my footsteps – and preside over the White House as the president’s spouse,” Bush said.
Bush paused and, understandably, the crowd weren’t too impressed.
But then she followed up with the following: “And I wish him well.”
Bush could foresee a time when a woman could be US President. Almost three decades later, we’re still waiting for that time to come. But we did get one step closer in 2016 with Hillary Clinton’s run for the top job.
Barbara Bush, 1990 Wellesley College commencement speech:
“Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps and preside over the White House as the president’s spouse – and I wish him well.”#BarbaraBush pic.twitter.com/PWSynKVSNL
— Greg Hogben (@MyDaughtersArmy) April 18, 2018
Barbara Bush also shared stories on the effort that diversity takes, noting that like anything that takes effort, it’s worth it. “Effort to learn about and respect difference, to be compassionate with one another, to cherish our own identity, and to accept unconditionally the same in others,” she said.
She urged the crowd to consider making three very special choices.
“The first is to believe in something larger than yourself, to get involved in some of the big ideas of our time.
“I chose literacy because I honestly believed that if more people could read, write, and comprehend, we would be that much closer to solving so many of the problems that plague our nation and our society…
“And early on, I made another choice, which I hope you will make as well. Whether you are talking about education, career, or service, you are talking about life and life really must have joy….
“The third choice that must not be missed is to cherish your human connections, your relationships with family and friends. For several years you’ve had impressed upon you the importance to your career of dedication and hard work, and of course that’s true. But as important as your obligations as a doctor, a lawyer, a business leader will be, you are a human being first and those human connections with spouses, with children, with friends are the most important investment you will ever make.
“At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent.”
Barbara Bush died this week at the age of 92