Tag: Smith College

Former First Lady Barbara Bush, wife of former President George H.W. She was born Barbara Pierce, the daughter of publisher Marvin Pierce, and attended Smith College until she dropped out to marry George H.W. Bush, whom she’d met at a party in Greenwich, Conn., over a winter break. When Margaret Carlson, who also memorialized Bush for TIME on Tuesday, profiled the then-new First Lady in a TIME cover story entitled “The Silver Fox” in the Jan. 23, 1989, issue, the magazine explored how she would make the transition from the role of Second Lady—more able to speak her mind, not quite so visible—to White House resident. Video Player is loading. Beginning of dialog window. Sure enough, when her husband was elected the 41st President of the United States, she promoted efforts to combat illiteracy (inspired by her son Neil’s dyslexia) and research for cancer cures (inspired by the death of her daughter Robin at just 3 years old). Here’s how TIME described the way that she wielded influence in her husband’s political career in his time leading up to the White House: Barbara has been most influential on issues that concern her deeply or where her husband is behind the curve, like AIDS, the homeless, civil rights and education. In the late 1950s, she battled segregationist innkeepers who refused to let the family’s black baby-sitter stay with them in the same hotel. ”There were drafts of speeches that went into the suite at night and came out the next morning with changes,” an aide recalls.