First Lady Focuses On Literacy, History In Connecticut Visit

By Susan Haigh

Associated Press

HARTFORD — Mark Twain had hoped that a president or two might visit his gothic Victorian home in Hartford someday.

On Tuesday, he got his belated wish — almost.

First Lady Laura Bush, a personal fan of Twain’s writings, took a private tour of the home. She is the only first lady to visit the house, according to the Mark Twain Home & Museum officials. No president has yet toured the rooms, designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

“It’s a real big deal for us. It’s just an honor to have her here, especially since Twain always wanted to have a president visit his home. To have a first lady, he’d be thrilled,” said Augusta Girard, marketing and public relations manager for the house.

Mark Twain was among the authors featured in a recent White House literary series hosted by the first lady. Twain wrote some of his most famous works, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, in his Hartford home, where he lived from 1874 to 1891.

“This is a wonderful chance for me to be able to visit, arguably, our greatest author’s home,” Mrs Bush told reporters.

Reading is one of Mrs Bush’s passions. Tuesday’s trip to Connecticut marked the second time in three months she has visited the state to promote reading.

Before touring Twain’s house, Mrs Bush, a former public school teacher and librarian, visited with second- and third-grade students in a summer reading program at the Driggs School in Waterbury. She was accompanied by US Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

While in Waterbury, Mrs Bush announced the 2007 Improving Literacy Through School Libraries grants. More than 300 schools, many in impoverished districts, in 28 states are sharing $18 million in grants to restock their library shelves with new books, provide new technology for student research, extend library hours and offer professional development for teachers.

Twenty schools in Waterbury will share nearly $300,000, Mrs Bush said.

“Thanks to the grant, more than 9,400 children in Waterbury will strengthen their skills in research and reading,” she said.

Before addressing a crowd of more than 100 people, including state and local dignitaries, Mrs Bush and Spellings met in the school library with small group of second-graders attending the Reading First Summer School. Mrs Bush read to them Curious George Visits the Library.

She asked the group seated quietly at her feet whether they understood what the word curious meant. Some shook their heads no.

“He’s interested in things and a lot of times he gets in trouble because he’s so curious,” Mrs Bush explained.

As first lady, Mrs Bush has championed literacy programs in the United States and abroad. In September, she hosted a White House conference on global literacy in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

She spoke Tuesday of the need for updated books in school libraries, mentioning one school in rural Pennsylvania where the school’s atlases still included the former Soviet Union.