Lady Bird Johnson
I am old enough to remember the Johnson administration. More to the point, I vividly remember the Kennedy assassination (the funeral took place the weekend of my 7th birthday) and the images of Lyndon Johnson taking the oath of office aboard Air Force One, his wife by his side. While I wouldn't say I was a fan of LBJ, Lady Bird Johnson was truly an amazing woman.
In the 1960s, before widespread talk of global warming and the greenhouse effect, remember the first Earth Day wasn't until 1970, Mrs. Johnson was a vocal advocate for replacing billboards and junkyards with trees and wildflowers. What few may know, the $320 million Highway Beautification Bill, passed in 1965, was known as "The Lady Bird Bill," and she made speeches and lobbied Congress to win its passage.
Soft-spoken and genteel, turning a modest inheritance into a multi-million dollar radio corporation, she was known to mop floors and sell radio time. Even though she had an almost crippling fear of public speaking, she once appeared for 47 speeches in 4 days, while LBJ was on the campaign trail.
Admired and respected by all who came after her, on her 70th birthday, in 1982, she and Helen Hayes founded the National Wildflower Research Center near Austin, later renamed the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The research and education center is dedicated to the preservation and use of wildflowers and native plants.
"I'm optimistic that the world of native plants will not only survive, but will thrive for environmental and economic reasons, and for reasons of the heart. Beauty in nature nourishes us and brings joy to the human spirit," Lady Bird Johnson wrote.
Amen, Mrs. Johnson.
In the 1960s, before widespread talk of global warming and the greenhouse effect, remember the first Earth Day wasn't until 1970, Mrs. Johnson was a vocal advocate for replacing billboards and junkyards with trees and wildflowers. What few may know, the $320 million Highway Beautification Bill, passed in 1965, was known as "The Lady Bird Bill," and she made speeches and lobbied Congress to win its passage.
Soft-spoken and genteel, turning a modest inheritance into a multi-million dollar radio corporation, she was known to mop floors and sell radio time. Even though she had an almost crippling fear of public speaking, she once appeared for 47 speeches in 4 days, while LBJ was on the campaign trail.
Admired and respected by all who came after her, on her 70th birthday, in 1982, she and Helen Hayes founded the National Wildflower Research Center near Austin, later renamed the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The research and education center is dedicated to the preservation and use of wildflowers and native plants.
"I'm optimistic that the world of native plants will not only survive, but will thrive for environmental and economic reasons, and for reasons of the heart. Beauty in nature nourishes us and brings joy to the human spirit," Lady Bird Johnson wrote.
Amen, Mrs. Johnson.
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God Bless!
Jules
posted by Jules @ 9:07 AM
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