[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 110 (Wednesday, July 11, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S9013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO LADY BIRD JOHNSON

  Mr. REID. Madam President, inside this desk is the name Johnson of 
Texas, majority leader. That, of course, is the signature of Lyndon 
Johnson, who was majority leader, Vice President of the United States, 
President of the United States. I have the honor of being able to work 
from this desk.
  Lyndon Johnson is a legend from the great State of Texas, the Lone 
Star State. He was a Member of Congress, U.S. Senator, majority leader, 
Vice President, and the 36th President of the United States. But just 
as importantly, for those who know anything about Lyndon Johnson, were 
not these honors that were bestowed upon him by others but the fact 
that he married a wonderful woman, Lady Bird Johnson,
  What a name, Lady Bird Johnson. Anytime you read about Lyndon 
Johnson, you have to understand the power of his wife.
  Caro's book, ``Master of the Senate,'' has a lot in it about Lady 
Bird Johnson.
  My wife understands, I am sure, a little bit what she went through. 
In the book, it describes how he would bring people home with little 
notice for dinner, and it was always available. Mr. Rayburn, the 
Speaker, came to their home at least once a week for dinner, many times 
unannounced except by the President calling at the last minute.
  Today, America has lost this great woman. The greatest asset Lyndon 
Johnson had was his wife. I join my colleagues and all Americans in 
tribute to this great American woman.
  I did not have the good fortune to know Lady Bird Johnson. She died 
today at age 94. But those who did know her said if you were to look up 
in the dictionary the term ``lady,'' you would find Lady Bird Johnson's 
picture. She truly stereotyped a lady.
  I believe it is fair to say that you did not have to know Lady Bird 
Johnson--I did not--to admire her for the causes she championed.
  As I said briefly, I have my own special appreciation for Mrs. 
Johnson because I have some idea of what Landra, my wife, puts up with 
being married to the majority leader.
  He was a domineering personality, her husband. She was, during all of 
the domination he had--with his poking Senators in the chest and the 
things he is now legendary to have done--she was always the same 
graceful woman no matter the situation she found herself in. She was 
the same person no matter what the situation. She served during 
challenging, extraordinary times. President Johnson went through some 
very difficult times. She was always at his side.
  She did not ask for the role of First Lady, but she embraced that 
role with grace and dignity.
  As First Lady, she was instrumental in the Highway Beautification 
Act, which came to be known as ``Lady Bird's bill.'' She had many other 
initiatives that enhanced our natural world. She was a champion for 
children with programs such as Head Start. Later in life, her passion 
continued, most notably in her work opening the Lady Bird Johnson 
Wildflower Center outside Austin, TX, where she will lie before 
reaching her final resting place at the Johnson family ranch in 
Stonewall, TX.
  I can think of no better tribute to Lady Bird Johnson than to close 
with her own words. She said once:

       Some may wonder why I chose wildflowers when there is 
     hunger and unemployment and the big bomb in the world.
       Well, I, for one, think we will survive, and I hope that 
     along the way we can keep alive our experience with the 
     flowering earth. For the bounty of nature is also one of the 
     deep needs of man.

  My thoughts and warm feelings are with her two daughters, Lynda, whom 
I know quite well, and Luci, whom I know of, and, of course, Lynda's 
husband, our former colleague, Chuck Robb--who served with such dignity 
in the Senate; I had the good fortune of being able to serve with this 
wonderful Senator, great Governor of the State of Virginia, an 
extraordinary, gallant marine--and Ian, Luci's husband, and Lady Bird's 
many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all of whom she loved as 
only a mother and grandmother could love.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I would like to say a word about Lady 
Bird Johnson.
  We have had many graceful First Ladies in the United States, but Lady 
Bird Johnson can truly be said to have been the First Lady of America 
the Beautiful. Her husband used to joke that he would hear rustling in 
the hall at the White House. It would be, as he would say, Lady Bird 
and Lawrence Rockefeller meeting to work on conservation projects. Her 
legacy was the Highway Beautification Act of 1965. She understood that 
we have a great many important issues in our country but that one of 
our great characteristics is the beauty of our country. Italy has its 
art, Egypt has its pyramids, and we have the great American outdoors. 
Lady Bird Johnson knew that for everybody--not just the wealthy with 
big homes and big lawns--the beauty of our country was something to 
preserve. She did that, and she changed our entire national attitude 
about its importance. She brought out the best in us in terms of 
appreciating the beauty of America.
  I visited the Wild Flower Garden in Austin, TX, before. I have seen 
the blue bonnets there in the spring, and I have seen how she 
influenced the flowers to grow in the rights-of-way on Texas highways. 
They even adopted the motto in Texas ``Don't mess with Texas.'' I am 
sure that is a legacy of Lady Bird Johnson as well. But not only did 
flowers begin to grow along the rights-of-way in Texas, they did in 
Tennessee and in a lot of other places--in States such as Colorado. 
Lady Bird Johnson has made her mark in our country.
  Our family had the privilege of knowing the Johnsons and especially 
Linda and Luci--Linda married to Chuck Robb, a former Senator. We were 
good friends. We spent many times together at Governors' conferences, 
and our children know one another. We express to Linda and Luci and 
that family our sympathies. We know they have great pride in their 
mother as well as their father. But we think of their mother tonight as 
we think of her as the First Lady of America the Beautiful and remember 
her contributions.

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