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Post Date: Thursday, October 1, 2020 |
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Original post date: January 2019
President George H.W. and Barbara Bush
Written by Robert J. Dunn, Past President and
Shawn Rowley, Communications Director
In light of the recent passing of President George H.W. Bush, the Apawamis family is proud to devote this article to the memory of two prominent politcal figures, President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Pierce Bush.
The Apawamis Club is a sentimental location for the Bush and Pierce family because it is where Barbara Pierce Bush spent much of her youth, and it features as a crucial chapter in the ever-growing romance between Barbara “Bar” Pierce and George “Poppy” H.W. Bush.
The Apawamis Club was an incredibly special place for Barbara and George. This love story between them begins in 1928 when Marvin Pierce, Barbara’s father and President of McCall Publishing Company, became a member of the Apawamis Club.
The Pierce Family
Long before Barbara and George’s love story began, Barbara spent her youth visiting the Club with her father, Marvin Pierce, one of our long-time members from 1928 to 1941 and 1944 to 1967. Marvin Pierce was a highly involved member, and he served on the Golf Committee in 1937 and was a member of the Board of Governors from 1938 to 1940.
Along with her father, Barbara’s brother, Scott Pierce, was a member of the Apawamis Club first as a Junior Member from 1951 until 1954, then as an Active Member from 1974 to 2013. Scott served on the Board of Governors from 1998 to 2002.
The Pierce family were avid athletes, and they consistently participated in many of our Apawamis events. A 1916 graduate of the Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Marvin “Monk” Pierce was a celebrated athlete in four different sports and was the captain of his football team. Like his father, Scott was widely recognized for his athletic ability. One of the many reasons he joined the Club was to further pursue his love for golf.
Barbara’s Younger Days
Barbara Pierce was no stranger to athletics, and she carried on her family’s tradition of athletic excellence in sports, specifically swimming, tennis, and bike riding. Barbara spent much of her youth visiting the Club with her father and brother to watch their golf tournaments. Born in Queens, New York, on June 8, 1925, Barbara grew up Onondaga Street in Indian Village just a short walk from the Club.
Barbara Bush wrote in her memoir, “Rye was a wonderful place to grow up. It was tiny in those days, and we knew most of the 8,000 people who lived there.” She attended Milton Elementary and Rye Country Day Schools; how fun it is to know that our Junior Sports Campers get to play and learn in the same building as the former First Lady.
After finishing her schooling in Rye, Barbara decided to join her friends at a well-known high school, Ashley Hall, in Charleston, South Carolina.
A “Story Book” Romance
In 1941, Barbara returned home to Rye on her Christmas break from school. This was the trip that started her lifelong romance with a young man nicknamed “Poppy.” In his 1990 letter congratulating the Apawamis Governors for their centennial celebration, President George H.W. Bush reflected on his romance with Barbara. He said, “It was at one of your Christmas dances that I asked Barbara on our first date.” This first date was clearly a success!
Their budding romance quickly turned into a passionate and caring relationship, but it was interrupted by the onset of World War II. Shortly after the Pearl Harbor attacks, George enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was shipped off to the war front. While he was overseas, Barbara joined the war effort and worked at a nuts and bolts factory in Port Chester.
George quickly became the youngest U.S. Navy pilot during the war, flying 58 missions in the Pacific arena against Japanese Imperial Powers. He luckily survived when his plane was shot down in September 1944, and just a few short months later he returned home on Christmas Eve that same year.
Immediately after George returned home from the war, the Pierce and Bush families started working on creating a beautiful wedding for George and Barbara. The two were deeply in love, and they were married on January 6, 1945, at the First Presbyterian Church in Rye, followed by a reception at the Apawamis Club that was hosted by by Marvin and Pauline Robinson Pierce, Barbara’s father and mother.
Mr. and Mrs. George Bush would be married for 73 years, the longest marriage of any presidential couple in U.S. history. In an article written for CBS News, the former president described their love story as a “storybook” romance.
On September 18, 1945, George Bush was honorably discharged from the Navy, having earned the Distinguished Flying Cross “for distinguishing himself by heroism and extraordinary achievement.” Two months later, the newly married couple was off to New Haven, Connecticut, where George would start a new life as a freshman at Yale University. He studied economics and was captain of the baseball team, under Coach Ethan Allen. The team would go on to play in the first two College World Series. George graduated Phi Beta Kappa 22 months later in May 1948.
Apawamis and the Presidential family
After their wedding, George and Barbara Bush would travel the world for George’s impactful political career.
In 1988, George was working on his campaign to become the 41st President of the United States. During the campaign, Barbara returned to her childhood home of Rye, and she said, “I’ve been with George to 67 different countries and all 50 of the United States. And believe me when I tell you, there’s no place like home.” George and Barbara shared some of the greatest moments together in Rye and at the Apawamis Club.
When the Apawamis Club celebrated its 100th anniversary, the Apawamis Governors sent the Bush’s a copy of Apawamis: One Hundred Years of Excellence. Both Barbara and George demonstrated their love for the Apawamis family in their letters thanking the Governors for the book. In a letter thanking then Club President Bob Dunn, Barbara said, “As you know from George’s letter, I have very fond memories of Apawamis, especially the dances.”
In 2015, the Apawamis Club celebrated their 125th anniversary, and they sent a celebratory letter to George with a special tie. George sent a letter to the then Club President Simon Canning that said, “What a treat to receive your letter with that wonderful anniversary commemorative tie. Just seeing the Club’s name brought back a flood of very special memories.” The letters George and Barbara wrote to the Club and an autographed picture are displayed in the trophy case outside the Ballroom—the site of George and Barbara’s wedding reception.
The Bush’s started their romance at the Apawamis Club, and they continued their life around the world and in Washington, D.C. with these cherished memories. They lived such impactful lives, and their legacy and memories will live on at the Apawamis Club and across the country.
The Apawamis Club | Two Club Road | Rye, NY 10580 | (914) 967-2100 | apawamis.org
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