Laura Bush speaking at Bakersfield Business Conference
BUSH: Rich Little back by demand
| Sunday, Nov 08 2009 12:01 PM
Last Updated Monday, Nov 09 2009 10:37 AM
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Then-First Lady Laura Bush arrives at St. Boniface Elementary school May 2, 2006, in Fort Smith, Ark. Bush traveled to Arkansas to praise a group of sixth-graders at St. Boniface School who started a program to help enroll senior citizens in a Medicare prescription drug coverage program. (AP Photo/The Southwest Times Record, Brian D. Sanderford)
Former first lady Laura Bush and impressionist-comedian Rich Little both will return to the Bakersfield Business Conference.
The much anticipated one-day conference is returning Oct. 9 of next year after a five-year absence, and organizers are announcing one or two speakers a week as headliners in business, politics and entertainment are confirmed.
"Laura Bush was not only first lady of the United States, bringing a great deal of dignity and grace to that role and managing to stay popular at a particularly divisive time in American politics, but she also was and is a champion of human rights, literacy and educational opportunity," said conference communications director Brandon Martin.
Little, he added, is back by popular demand.
"He's a favorite," Martin said. "He's a patriotic playground. A perfect blend of politics and entertainment. He's politically aware in his satire, and he's also really funny."
Zack Scrivner, chairman of the Kern County Republican Party, could not be reached for comment. No one returned an e-mail to Bakersfield Republican Women Federated.
Candi Easter, chairwoman of the Kern County Democratic Party, did not return a telephone call seeking comment.
A former teacher and librarian, Bush should resonate with business leaders concerned about education, Martin said. Bush is a proponent of teacher recruitment programs such as Teach for America, The New Teacher Project and Troops to Teachers. In 2006, she hosted leaders from around the world for the White House Conference on Advancing Global Literacy, and the former first lady serves as honorary ambassador for the United Nations Literacy Decade.
An impressionist who can mimic more than 200 voices, Little lampoons icons of popular culture and politics in the United States and his native Canada.
An Emmy award-winning performer, Little has recorded nine comedy albums and hosted three HBO comedy specials, and performs regulary in Atlantic City, N.J., Chicago, Hawaii, London, New York, Reno, Nev., and his adopted home, Las Vegas.
For conference updates, log onto www.bpcbakbusconf.com.
