University of New England honors the life of First Lady Barbara Bush

First Lady Barbara Bush at the George and Barbara Bush Distinguished Lecture in 2013

The University of New England is saddened to learn of the passing of our dear friend, former First Lady of the United States Barbara Bush.

Standing beside her husband, Mrs. Bush epitomized the can-do spirit of America’s “Greatest Generation” serving as a tireless advocate for universal literacy, children’s health, and other important causes. In her latter decades, as she and the former President made Walker’s Point their summer home, she made a lasting impression on us at the University of New England. After arriving in Kennebunkport each summer, it was not uncommon for the Bushes to take their boat up the coast to visit UNE’s Biddeford Campus.

“Mrs. Bush’s remarkable life will continue to inspire us,” said UNE President James D. Herbert, Ph.D. “With her commitment to her family, her faith, and the causes she held dear, she exemplified the degree to which each of us is capable of making the world a better place.”

In 2008, Mrs. Bush was instrumental in helping UNE to forge a partnership with the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University and to create UNE’s own George and Barbara Bush Center. Overlooking the Saco River in Biddeford, the facility houses a rich collection of photographs and paintings celebrating the Bushes’ love of the Maine coast, as well as a replica of the Oval Office during the Bush Presidency, and a statue of the President.

In 2010, it was UNE’s pleasure to inaugurate the George and Barbara Bush Distinguished Lecture Series, an annual event honoring the legacy of President and Mrs. Bush as political and community leaders. For the next several years, as summer turned to fall and students repopulated UNE’s campuses, the entire university community would look forward to the special day when the Bushes visited Biddeford for the lecture named in their honor.

The President and First Lady attended the lecture each year until failing health forced them to miss the event for the first time in 2016.

To learn more about the President and First Lady’s enduring legacy at UNE, visit http://www.une.edu/bushcenter and http://www.une.edu/lectures/bush.

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