[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 25, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1617-E1618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      MOURNING THE PASSING OF FORMER FIRST LADY, LADY BIRD JOHNSON

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 23, 2007

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the memory of Mrs. Claudia ``Lady Bird'' Johnson. Her humble and 
steadfast devotion to public service combined with her passionate 
concern for environmental issues made her an icon within the 
environmental movement. Modest and kind, dedicated and courageous, her 
contribution to American politics will not soon be forgotten.
  As an advocate of natural habitat and wildlife protection, I greatly 
admired Lady Bird's commitment to preserving and beautifying America's 
lands. My father, Stewart Udall, was Secretary of the Interior under 
President Johnson, and he credits Lady Bird's several trips to the 
American West and the Rocky Mountains with igniting her love of the 
environment. Her campaigns to beautify our cities and highways, clean 
our lakes and rivers, and preserve our natural resources catalyzed many 
of the environmental campaigns politicians now pursue. Lady Bird 
transformed Washington D.C. while her husband was in office by planting 
thousands of tulips and daffodils in parks across the city and creating 
a national roadside planting program. For Lady Bird, wildflower 
beautification was not simply cosmetic; by expanding and bolstering 
diverse habitats, her projects inspired reverence for nature and the 
inherent splendor of our earth. She reminded us that to enjoy life, we 
must sometimes stop to smell the roses.
  At age 70, she founded the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. She 
said it was her way of paying back rent for the space she occupied in 
the world. This center now leads the nation in wildflower research, 
education, and project development.
  Environmental work, however, was only part of Lady Bird's public 
service campaign. As the first First Lady to have a press secretary and 
a chief of staff, she cultivated her own agenda. A staunch supporter of 
civil rights, Lady Bird's strength, intelligence, and good judgment 
served as a guide and comfort for President Johnson. She also pushed 
for federal legislation restricting billboards on federal highways and 
fought for the Head Start program. The projects she undertook always 
reflected her compassion, graciousness, and determination to make a 
difference.
  Lady Bird's compassion not only infused her political career but also 
permeated her personal life. Mother of two beautiful daughters, Luci 
Baines and Lynda Bird, Lady Bird cared for her family with same 
exquisite grace she exhibited as First Lady. Luci and Lynda have 
inherited their mother's dedication to public service. They have 
supported a variety of organizations, including Reading Is Fundamental, 
the American Heart Association, and the Center for Battered Women. Lady 
Bird's family and those close to her admired and emulated her loving 
patience, tender poise, and unending strength.
  An environmental pioneer, a behind the scenes supporter and advisor 
for her husband, a loving mother, and a gentle soul, Lady Bird

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will be sincerely missed. Lady Bird was a friend of my father's, and 
our family will always celebrate the life of the extraordinary woman 
who gave so much of herself. In her various efforts to spread beauty 
and tranquility across the country, Lady Bird has left this world a 
better place for us all.

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