LBJ 36

Day 8 - May 11th Addendum

In looking back at our daily journal, we realized we had missed an important part. We could honestly say that another favorite part of the George Bush Presidential Library was listening to son talk about his father as the 41st President as well as father talk about his son as 43rd President.  Not many people can have those perspectives and learn from each other while being in the public eye.  It was genuinely obvious throughout the entire museum that these two not only loved each other as father and son, but also admired the work that each other had done.  Like was said at the beginning of yesterday's post, it is not about politics when it comes to visiting a presidential library but rather learning about the men as people and the role they played in history.

Day 9 – May 12th

Presidential Library #2 - Lyndon Baines Johnson in Austin, TX

We headed to Austin, TX to visit the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library on the campus of University of Texas. The building is very tall and blends in with the campus.  The public floors are third, fourth, and tenth.  Floors five through nine house all of the records and correspondences during the Johnson presidency.  They are visible through large glass windows seen from the third and fourth floor.

Since Lyndon B. Johnson  (LBJ) was the 36th President of the United States, the decor and contents of this library were reminiscent of the 1960s. One highlight we found interesting were the phones located throughout the museum where you could listen in on various conversations from Johnson's tapes which have been released to the public. Some of the conversations showed how determined he was to get what he felt was necessary for the country no matter what the cost.  People could not say no to him; he simply wouldn't let them.



Another highlight included the timelines of the different decades during LBJ's life.from what was happening in the world around him.These timelines brought back lots of memories for us from songs, television shows, and legislature passed while we were growing up.  

Of course there was the infamous photos of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Lyndon Baines Johnson taking the Presidential Oath on Air Force One next to Mrs. Kennedy, and President Johnson's role in the transition of our country.  

However, the realization we came to was how LBJ carried out may pieces of legislature, projects, and wars that other presidents and civil rights leaders had begun the fight. A few examples include Medicare, Civil Rights Act, Voting Act, and Vietnam War.

Another realization we had was that Senator Lyndon B. Johnson was instrumental in legislature that allowed the creation of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).  He then was an avid supporter of the space program.

President Johnson was a former school teacher, learning firsthand how students in poverty learned. In 1930, the Texas Department of Education issued him a lifetime teaching certificate. 

The First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, was very important to America with her beautification program which included stopping littering and educating about native wildflowers. On her 70th birthday, she founded a research center, The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, to protect and preserve North America's native plants and natural landscapes.  

After we left the LBJ Library, we decided to add in a side trip.

National Historic Site #1 -  Lyndon B. Johnson National HIstorical Park; LBJ State Park and Historic Site

We first headed to Johnson City, TX to go to the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. We made a brief stop to get more information and see the Visitor's Center.  At this location was a settlement site of Johnson's early family.

Next, we headed to Stonewall, TX, just 14 miles away, to see the Texas White House, also known as the LBJ Ranch. We had to stop at the State Park Visitor Center first in order to get a permit to drive onto the Ranch.




As we wound along the road leading into the Ranch, we finally came to the air hangar and strip. We were absolutely amazed to see a mini Air Force One (Dean called it Air Force One Half).  We didn't realize it had existed, but was very cool.  


After viewing it, we went on a ranger led tour of the house. After Lady Bird's death in 2007, the LBJ Ranch is now operated by the Texas Parks & Wildlife as well as the National Park Service, according to her wishes. The Johnson Family retains the rights to use the Ranch for private occasions, but also has requested no photography inside the house.  

President Johnson spent 1/4 of his time in Office at this Ranch, not relaxing, but conducting business.  It was not unusual to see his Cabinet all sitting under the big oak tree discussing legislature and other government business.


Most considered LBJ a workaholic. Whether in his White House Oval Office or Texas White House living room and bedroom, he always kept three side-by-side televisions on so he could watch all three major news networks to see what they were saying at all times.

In addition to having televisions always on and available wherever he was, LBJ was completely obsessed with telephones.  The ranger told us that in the Ranch house alone, he had 72 phone lines and 300 on the Ranch.  During the tour, we even saw a phone connected to the dining room table.  




As we made our way off of the property, we stopped to look at both LBJ and Lady Bird's gravesites.





We had learned a lot about Lyndon Baines Johnson throughout the day.  His drive and unwavering ability to get what he wanted allowed him to accomplish great things. Although his Presidency will forever be blemished by the Vietnam War, he truly was able to get a lot of important things done for the American people.

Exhausted and mentally drained with all of the new knowledge, we left for our night's destination at San Antonio.  We checked in to our hotel in the rain and then went to check out the Riverwalk. Our hotel was directly on the Riverwalk but was off to one end.  We walked all the way to the big loop so we could find a place to eat.  

It was late, but we enjoyed the hubbub and saw many of the places Robin had come to with some Jamerson friends.  We shared lots of memories, talking and laughing about some of the experiences she had had with her new school colleagues. We finally ended up eating at Joe's Crab Shack.  The food was fine, but we were too tired to really enjoy! River taxis had already shut down so we got a street taxi and went to the hotel.



The day had been long, but we had learned so much about the history of Lyndon Baines Johnson!