At age sixteen, Barbara Pierce fell in love with the future president of the United States, George Bush. Mrs. Bush has often made the joke that she married well; through her marriage she has been able to promote a myriad of humanitarian efforts and charitable causes, lovingly, and with great success. After losing a daughter to leukemia in 1953, she became an advocate for children with leukemia. Mrs. Bush is best known, however, for her devotion to family literacy projects. She believes that if more people were able to read and express themselves through writing, many of our social problems would begin to resolve themselves. In 1990, she helped to develop the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, and since then she has served as the Honorary Chair. She also spends much time encouraging people to read through public appearances and fundraisers. Mrs. Bush remains devoted to her husband and her five children, two of whom have entered politics for themselves.
