Former first lady leads presidential parade to area
MARSHFIELD – Former first lady Laura Bush drew an audience of about 300 as the guest speaker at the Cherry Blossom Gala Dinner Thursday at the Marshfield Activities Center.
She expressed her appreciation for being there and meeting relatives of 26 other presidential families in attendance, including several descendants of George Washington.
After they moved into the White House, her first job was to find a cause — her identity — as first lady, so she decided to just be Laura Bush.
"I love to read. Reading is not just the cause of my time as first lady, it's my passion," Bush said. "I believe that every child in America should learn to read."
"I know books have power not only to shape individuals but to shape a nation," she said.
She reflected on their days after Sept. 11, 2001, and the heartaches she and husband George W. Bush shared and the tears they shed together in each other's arms.
"We and our daughters were safe. All I could think about was the thousands of Americans who could not say that," Bush said.
Now every landmark is a terrorist objective and every crowd a terrorist threat, she added.
Currently, Laura Bush has several projects in the works, including protecting women from cervical cancer and getting girls educated in third world countries.
She also is adamantly working to make sure returning veterans are hired.
"(Post-traumatic stress) is an injury not a disorder," she emphasized.
During the question-and-answer period after her speech, she talked about getting back to a normal life in Texas.
Her husband is painting now and has a studio next to the ranch house. They also attend as many Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers games as possible.
Laura Bush attends National Book Conferences and has been working to establish school libraries in less-fortunate neighborhoods. They establish about 150 libraries per year.
Her own family is special to her, and she talked about her granddaughter Mila, whose mother is Jenna Bush Hager of The Today Show.
"We need to get our attention back to American children and pass values on to them," she said.
Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival
When: Through Saturday
Where: Marshfield Activity Center
Highlights: Festival features former first lady Laura Bush, with crafts, food, activities including a gala dinner with Bush, Robert and Edith Garst History Convocation with daughters Barbara and Jenna Bush, tea with Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's butler; program with actress Morgan Brittany, Dred and Harriet Scott Reconciliation Program, presidential prayer breakfast, vendors along the town square, Walk of Fame with Tom Akers, astronaut.
Information: cherryblossomfest.com