The first-day-of-issue ceremony was held at Ganny's Garden on the Green in Kennebunkport, ME, near the family's vacation home and scene of many happy times as the Bush family gathered to relax together, away from their lives in public service.
The stamp was dedicated by Doug Tulino, the Postal Service's acting postmaster general.
"At this special occasion, we are reminded of the values Mrs. Bush embodied — values we at the U.S. Postal Service also hold dear," said Tulino. "She knew that each piece of mail is more than paper and postage. It was a bridge between one American and another — a personal connection with the public she served all her life."
George W. Bush spoke on behalf of the Bush family.
"She knew family was vital to a happy life," the former president said. "She was a lover of books. It was really important to her because she knew if a child couldn't read, a child couldn't succeed."
Also attending the event were former first lady Laura Bush; Mrs. Bush's son, Neil Bush; and daughter, Dorothy "Doro" Bush Koch. Alice Yates, CEO of the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, was the master of ceremonies.
The Postal Service produced this story of the Barbara Bush stamp.
Born Barbara Pierce in New York City on June 8, 1925, the future first lady grew up in Rye, NY, and attended boarding school in South Carolina. At age 16, she attended a Christmas dance in Connecticut where she met George H.W. Bush, who was on break from a Massachusetts boarding school. The two began corresponding. Eighteen months later, they became engaged shortly before Mr. Bush left to serve in World War II. At age 19, George Bush became one of the youngest Navy aviators to fly torpedo bombers and would name several of his planes after his fiancée. Serving in the Pacific Theater, his plane was shot down in late 1944, with the future president as the only survivor. Returning home on leave, George and Barbara married on Jan. 6, 1945.
Two years later, when Mr. Bush was a student at Yale, Mrs. Bush gave birth to their first child, George W. A second child, daughter Robin, was born in 1949 but died of leukemia at age 3. Between 1953 and 1959, Mrs. Bush gave birth to four more children: Jeb, Neil, Marvin and Dorothy.
In 1962, Mrs. Bush started what would become 54 years of campaigning for her family and allies as Mr. Bush ran for chair of the Harris County, TX, Republican Party. In those years, Mr. Bush served as member of the U.S. House of Representatives, ambassador to the United Nations, chairman of the Republican National Committee and director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The family moved 30 times as they supported Mr. Bush's military, business and political pursuits, with Barbara Bush steadfast in support of her husband and children.
After losing the Republican nomination for president in 1980, Mr. Bush was named as Ronald Reagan's vice presidential running mate. With their election, Mrs. Bush became second lady. Motivated by her son Neil's dyslexia, she took an interest in literacy issues. In 1984, Mrs. Bush wrote her first children's book, "C. Fred's Story," told from the perspective of her cocker spaniel, with proceeds going to two national literacy programs.
When Mr. Bush ran for president in 1988, Mrs. Bush once again took to the campaign trail, bringing down-to-earth style and self-deprecating humor that garnered admiration for her and support for her husband's candidacy. Mr. Bush won the election and she became first lady on Jan. 20, 1989.
Mrs. Bush also joined the fight against AIDS. Drawing from her experience with her daughter Robin's battle against leukemia, the first lady visited a hospice for children where she cradled a child with AIDS. This act of compassion, at a time when even touching someone with the incurable illness was greatly feared, helped destigmatize AIDS. Mrs. Bush went on to encourage her husband's support of federal funding in the fight against the disease.
Believing that illiteracy was the root of many problems faced by the country, she also established the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. In 1990, Mrs. Bush published a second children's story, "Millie's Book," which was a story told from the perspective of her beloved English springer spaniel. She also began "Mrs. Bush's Story Time," a national radio broadcast encouraging adults to read aloud to children. The following year, she encouraged her husband to pass the National Literacy Act, which provided millions of adults with a second chance to earn their high school diploma.
As first lady, Mrs. Bush found ways to remain authentic. Giving the 1990 Wellesley College commencement speech, she advised graduates of the mostly female class to follow their careers but remember that human connections are more important. She also went on to note that someone in the audience may "follow my footsteps and preside over the White House as the president's spouse. I wish him well!" The speech was lauded as one of the 20th century's best by American Rhetoric, an online database of public discourse and speeches.
When President Bush lost his bid for reelection in 1992, the Bushes returned to Texas. George W. Bush became governor of Texas in 1995, and Jeb Bush became Florida's governor in 1999. After vigorously campaigning for George W. Bush's 2000 run for president, Mrs. Bush joined Abigail Adams as the only other first lady to become the mother of a president and the only one to live to see her son take office.
Mrs. Bush died on April 17, 2018, in Houston, after several years of declining health. She is buried next to Robin at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, TX. Her husband died later that year in December and was buried next to her.
Barbara Pierce Bush stayed true to her down-to-earth nature, always demonstrating a grace and wit that made her one of the most popular first ladies in history.
The stamp was designed by Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, using a detail from the official 2005 White House portrait by artist Chas Fagan. The portrait is part of the White House Collection and appears courtesy of the White House Historical Association. The oil-on-canvas portrait shows Mrs. Bush wearing a purple top, black jacket and one of her signature multi-strand pearl necklaces. "Barbara Bush" is written in white across the bottom of the stamp, with the word "Forever" positioned at the lower-left side and "USA" at the upper-right side.
The stamp is being issued in panes of 20. As a Forever stamp, it will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtag #BarbaraBushStamp.
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The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
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SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
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