Lady Bird

[Martha]

Lady Bird Johnson died today at 94.

Plant a flower in her honor.

 

[Eagle43]

LBJ pushed her around early in his marriage.

Lady Bird Johnson, 1912-2007 - TIME

Once, when LBJ was still the Senate majority leader, Sidey was having a late drink with him in the Johnson ranch house in Texas. Lady Bird and a staff member came down the stairs responding to LBJ's shout. They were both in pajamas and night robes. Johnson stood up, gathered them in his huge arms and began to fondle a breast of each woman. Sidey later said that Lady Bird's restraint — she did nothing, but sweetly — is what calmed him down. After the White House, when confronted with some of these stories, Lady Bird shunted all wrath aside. "Lyndon always did like the ladies."

Then he had a heart attack and things changed. She was a good political wife, who never criticized him publicly. She had class!

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

She had class!

Aye, she did.

 

[cantlogin]

Lady Bird Johnson died today at 94.

Plant a flower in her honor.

Good idea.

I will.

 

[CuppaJoe]

Here's a celebrity-spotting story. Arround 1988 I was on AMTRAK's Empire Builder line going west in Montana. News spead that Lady Bird, a daughter and granddaughter were on board. There were two typical teens in the observation car, one said, "I haven't been to Houston in sooo long." It took me a while to realize she was LBJ's granddaughter. (She was not "an ugly baby" then!) We saw the three of them de-train at Glacier National Park, very dignified, greeted by park rangers.

I so remember the contrast between traveling the length of Illinois by car and by the train they call "The City of New Orleans" going south and the "Shawnee Limited" going north. Of course, what disguished them besides the poverty (not) seen from the highway was Lady Bird's flowers.

 

[Danny]

When we were in Austin in May we went out to Lady Bird's Wildflower Center
Its very nice place to hangout.

Last night on the Newshour - they said she was responsible for LBJ announcing that he would not run and not accept the nomination....

 

[pfpelican]

She's responsible for the wildflowers, which are primarily bluebonnets, that blossom in the spring along Texas highways (hiding the scorpions). She campaigned to delay spring grass cutting along highway rights of way to allow the wildflowers to bloom. Is a beautiful thing to see.