ABOUT NPF
Mrs. Laura Bush
For Eight Years, The First Lady Showed The World Her Commitment To Preserving Natural Beauty
First Lady Laura Bush has proved to be one of the most passionate champions of the national parks ever to occupy the White House. As the first honorary chair of the National Park Foundation (2004-2008), Mrs. Bush is more than an advocate–she’s one of the parks’ most enthusiastic visitors.
Her relationship with national parks was love at first sight. As a Girl Scout, the former Laura Welch was among a troop that toured Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. That affair of the heart has continued to this day. More than 20 years ago, Mrs. Bush and several lifelong Texas friends, including National Park Foundation vice chairman Regan Gammon, took a trip to the Grand Canyon. At that celebration, the friends made a pact to hike one national park together each year. She speaks fondly of cool swims in Yosemite’s Merced River after a long summer hike and treasures other memories of past visits. “On almost every trip, one of us wakes up in the middle of the night and then wakes everyone else up to look at the stars,” she says.
In her nearly eight years as First Lady, she found ways to combine her advocacy for parks with her passion for children’s education. During National Park Week in 2006, she visited historic Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston and participated in an online “visit” to Carlsbad Caverns National Park with millions of fourth graders across all 50 states and seven countries.
In 2007, Mrs. Bush furthered her personal work in conservation and park preservation, convening a Leadership Summit on Partnership and Philanthropy, aimed at seeking ways to ensure the future of the park system. She honored fellow Texan, First Lady and national parks lover Lady Bird Johnson, who died last July.
“Mrs. Johnson carried that early love of nature and life with her all the way to the White House,” she said, “where it became a gift she shared with our entire nation.”
Mrs. Bush honored the parks in last year’s White House holiday celebration, making Holiday in the National Parks the theme for the The Blue Room Christmas tree. The evergreen was adorned with ornaments created by employees or local artists near the almost 400 National Park Service sites.
At a gathering of Junior Rangers in Florida’s Everglades National Park in 2008, the First Lady urged kids to commit to nature. “We want to make sure that all boys and girls get to get outside to breathe the fresh air and explore the beauty of our country,” she said.
As Mrs. Bush left the White House, the momentum generated by her tireless commitment will continue to inspire parks’ supporters for generations to come.
