Melania welcomed reporters and guests to the East Room of the White House on Thursday, May 8, where the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a stamp honoring Barbara, a former first and second lady of the United States who would have turned 100 years old in June.

In a speech admiring Barbara's impact as the wife and mother of U.S. presidents, Melania said, "While she is known for championing literacy, she also supported women's empowerment, changed the national conversation on AIDS, and took a stand supporting gay rights."

"I applaud Mrs. Bush's mark defending our society's vital need for women across all avenues, whether CEO or homemaker," Melania added.

The ceremony was attended by friends and loved ones of the former first lady, including Barbara's youngest child, daughter Doro Bush Koch, who teared up while delivering a speech on behalf of the Bush family.

Doug Tulino, the acting postmaster general, and Alice Yates, the CEO of the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, were also in attendance.

Barbara's son George W. Bush and daughter-in-law Laura Bush, who have long remained distant from the Trump family, were not present. President Donald Trump also appeared to skip the event.

Born Barbara Pierce — a descendant from the family that included 14th U.S. President Franklin Pierce — the future first lady married George H.W. Bush in 1945.

The couple shared six children: George W., Robin, Jeb, Neil, Marvin and Dorothy, a.k.a. "Doro."

Barbara served as second lady for the eight years that her husband was Ronald Reagan's vice president, and then in 1988, they won the White House.

While she remained more of a maternal figure to the nation during her time as first lady, one of Barbara's most memorable moments came when she delivered the 1990 commencement address at Wellesley College.

Students had petitioned against her appearance after their graduating class's first choice speaker, Alice Walker, declined. However, Barbara went through with the speech and won the crowd over with her self-deprecating humor.

She brought the house down with her closing anecdote, musing about the possible future leaders among the graduates.

"Who knows? Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the president's spouse — and I wish him well!' "

At the White House event on Thursday, Melania admired how Barbara's iconic speech "encouraged women to carve their own paths in life."

"Over 35 years have passed since Barbara made the call for a female American president, a reflection of her forward-thinking vision," she said. "Mrs. Bush's legacy is marked by her respect for tradition, while also breaking with convention."

Dr. Jill Biden has also cited Barbara as an inspiration for her tenure as first lady in a speech given shortly after President Joe Biden's inauguration in January 2021.

"Mrs. Bush reminded us that we all have a role to play as we make our communities better and stronger. And she brought Americans from all walks of life together to do just that," Dr. Biden told a crowd at the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy's National Summit on Adult Literacy. "I hope to do the same."

"We can change the world in big ways and small ones. And Mrs. Bush reminded us that we need both."

Barbara died on April 17, 2018. She was followed by her husband just a few months later, on Nov. 30, 2018.

They are survived by their personal and political legacy, which includes six children, 17 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.