I’ve been out of touch this weekend. It was spent in Lawrence, Kansas on a quick visit with family and old friends and some new ones, too. I celebrated Pi Beta Phi Founders’ Day with the University of Kansas chapter.
On the ride home, with my husband driving, I used my phone to catch up on the events I missed. For those of you who watched Barbara Pierce Bush’s funeral, either as it was happening, or as I did via Youtube, here are a few more Greek-related items.
Barbara Pierce Bush’s parents, Marvin Pierce and Pauline Robinson Pierce, met at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Her father was a Beta Theta Pi and her mother was a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma. Barbara Bush was made an honorary alumna of Miami University.
Pauline Robinson Pierce, Barbara Bush’s mother, a Tri Sigma
Marvin Pierce, Barbara Bush’s father, a Beta Theta Pi
Susan Garrett Baker, who spoke at the funeral service, is an alumna of the Texas Alpha Chapter of Pi Beta Phi. She was one of Barbara Bush’s Pi Phi friends. As an alumna initiate of Pi Beta Phi, Barbara Bush had the opportunity to choose which chapter she wished to be initiated into and she chose Texas Eta, the chapter at Texas A&M, where her husband’s Presidential Library is located.
Barbara Bush with Texas Eta members. What a great sport she was donning a t-shirt.
President George H.W. Bush, a Delta Kappa Epsilon, wore socks adorned with books to honor his wife’s advocacy of literacy.
A group of granddaughters did one of the readings during the service and Barbara Bush, the daughter of Laura and George W. Bush, read one alone. She and her sister Jenna are members of Kappa Alpha Theta, as is their mother Laura. George W., a Delta Kappa Epsilon, and Laura Bush, were the second President and First Lady initiated into Greek-letter organizations as college students. (Lucy and Rutherford B. Hayes were alum initiates. Grace Goodhue and Calvin Coolidge were the first President and First Lady initiated as college students.)
In the upper photo, Barbara Bush is pictured with Kay Brock, Sarah Ruth “Sis” Mullis, and Beth Beatty, Pi Beta Phis who served on Grand Council, when they attended a Houston literacy event. Barbara Bush was initiated by Sis Mullis in 2002, the lower photos are of a note written to a Texas Eta member.
