91AV

The 91AV 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 91AV. After arriving in Kennebunkport each summer, it was not uncommon for the Bushes to take their boat up the coast to visit 91AV’s Biddeford Campus.  

“Mrs. Bush’s remarkable life will continue to inspire us,” said 91AV 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 91AV to forge a partnership with the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University and to create 91AV’s own . 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 91AV’s pleasure to inaugurate the , 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 91AV’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 91AV, visit and .

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