George W. Bush honors mother at Barbara Bush stamp ceremony in Kennebunkport, Maine

By Trevor Bills

On the morning of June 10, the United States Postal Service held a first-day-of-issue ceremony for a new forever stamp honoring first lady Barbara Bush. The ceremony took place at Ganny’s Garden on the River Green in Kennebunkport, Maine, home to Walker’s Point Estate, the Bush Family’s summer home.

“Ganny” is the name by which Barbara Bush was affectionately called by her grandchildren and the garden features 17 trees, one planted for each grandchild.

The garden was created in 2011 as a surprise tribute to Barbara Bush and features several planting beds of vibrantly colored flowers, including a hybrid rose variety named after Barbara.

The Lisa, Jim, and Byon Band played music while attendees purchased panes of the new stamp prior to the ceremony beginning.

Alice Gonzalez Yates, chief executive officer of the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, served as the master of ceremonies and began by welcoming guests to the garden.

The Kennebunkport Fire Department Honor Guard provided the presentation of colors and the national anthem was performed by Women of Note, a women’s a capella chorus.

The dedicating official for the ceremony was Doug Tulino, who currently serves as the Postal Service’s acting postmaster general and chief executive officer, as well as the chief human resource officer.

Tulino spoke about the Postal Service’s long standing relationship with Barbara Bush, who partnered with USPS to launch the “Wee Deliver” campaign in 1992 with the goal of improving youth literacy skills by encouraging children to write letters.

Tulino continued, saying that he believes “Barbara Bush’s life’s work and the mission of the Postal Service were written with the same ink.” He explained that at a literacy event in 1991, Barbara Bush said “Believe me, a handwritten note has meant more to me than I can say,” similar to how connecting individuals across the country is an important part of the USPS mission.

Tulino then introduced the next speaker, President George W. Bush, who thanked Tulino for the introduction before joking “I’ve been trying to be really nice to him because by the time they make one of these for me and Laura, it’s going to be an emoji.”

President Bush began by complimenting the painting chosen for the stamp design and said “Mother would put her stamp of approval on it.” He continued by thanking the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust, a local nonprofit organization that maintains several parks, historic structures, and Ganny’s Garden in Kennebunkport.

He also thanked the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation. President Bush said that when he sees the stamp, he “thinks about their family” and how “family was very important to her.”

He spoke about how Barbara Bush grew up in New York, “which has a lot of greenery, trees, and grass,” and then moved across the country with her husband, President George H.W. Bush, to Odessa, Texas “where there are no trees, and very little grass” because of the importance of family.

President George W. Bush finished by reflecting on Barbara’s last days in hospice, saying that when he called to speak to her one last time, she said “George, you’re my favorite son … on the phone.”

The event, attended by approximately 300 people, was a wonderful celebration of the new stamp honoring Barbara Bush’s life and legacy.

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