Barbara Pierce Bush, wife of a Delta Kappa Epsilon, was the daughter and sister of Beta Theta Pi members. She was also the mother of a Delta Phi and Delta Kappa Epsilon. Perhaps these connections were part of the reason she became an alumna initiate of Pi Beta Phi. She is a Texas Eta, the chapter at Texas A&M University.
Or perhaps it was Pi Phi’s literacy philanthropy. A letter she sent to Pi Beta Phi appeared in The Arrow’s Winter 1990 edition, more than a decade before she became a member of the organization.
This video message greeted the attendees at the 2011 Pi Beta Phi Convention in Orlando, Florida.
At home I have a letter she wrote thanking me for a copy of Hearts That Are Bound By The Wine and Silver Blue. At the bottom of the letter she added in her handwriting something to the effect that the portrait of Grace Goodhue Coolidge was one of her favorite First Lady portraits and that now she and Grace shared the Pi Phi connection. Unfortunately, I am not at home, so I cannot share it. (Can I mention how much I adore this stationery!)
She once said, “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent.” A wise woman was she and she will be sorely missed. Rest in Peace, Barbara Pierce Bush.
