Decision ‘08

Goodbye and God Bless, Lady Bird

You can’t live in the Texas Hill Country and not appreciate the legacy of the widow of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Lady Bird, who died today at the age of 94, was almost as big a figure in this area as her husband, and she left one gift for posterity that is evident every time you roll down Texas Highway 71 in the spring. The lovely bluebonnets will always be there to remind us of a proud lady who, regardless of your politics, made a genuine contribution.

I couldn’t do any better at a eulogy than the many, many people who have contributed to this special section of the Austin American Statesman, so I just recommend you spend a few minutes clicking through the links. For my fellow Austinites, if you’re interested in a more personal tribute, Lady Bird’s body will lie in repose at the LBJ Library on the UT campus, but no further details are available at this time.

I’m a sentimentalist when it comes to death: when we reach the end of the road, we’re all at the same level. It’s a good time to remind ourselves that there is more to life than partisan bickering. I’m sad to see Lady Bird shuffle off this mortal coil, but she lived a long and very full life - we should all be so lucky. Rest in peace…

2 Responses to “Goodbye and God Bless, Lady Bird”

1 kevin Says:
July 11th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
A classy post for a classy lady.
2 Martha Says:
July 12th, 2007 at 7:01 am
I always loved her Texas accent. She was a class act. I will read the posts later today.