Legacy Luncheon Past Speaker

Mrs. Laura Bush, Former First Lady of the United States, was the featured speaker at the inaugural Legacy Luncheon, Wednesday, April 25, 2018. Mrs. Bush reflected on her life and discussed her memoir, # 1 New York Times best seller, Spoken from the Heart.

The luncheon benefited two charitable organizations, the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute and Hospice of the Valley. Co-Chairs for the 2018 Legacy Luncheon were Gena Bonsall and Penny Gunning. Lin Sue Cooney, former NBC 12 News anchor, served as mistress of ceremonies and moderated a conversation with Mrs. Bush following her remarks.

Like Sandra Day O’Connor, who was raised in Arizona on her family’s Lazy B Ranch, Mrs. Bush stated in her book, “I was born upon the prairie, where the wind blew free, and there was nothing to break the light of the sun. I was born where there were no enclosures, and where everything drew a free breath.” In her memoir, she also describes life as First Lady and the post-9/11 White House, when anthrax attacks cut off the mail and she was no longer permitted to take strolls outside the gates. Polled by The Gallup Organization as one of the most popular First Ladies, Mrs. Bush, with a master’s degree in library science and a former librarian, helped advance national and global concerns during her tenure, including encouraging education and literacy worldwide.