AUSTIN, Texas — Calling all Texas history buffs! Tuesday is the grand opening of a new exhibit at the LBJ Presidential Library in honor of former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, who was married to former President Lyndon B. Johnson. Both Texas natives had a deep love for Texas, but especially for Central Texas.
Lady Bird Johnson graduated from the University of Texas and Lyndon B. Johnson graduated from Texas State University.
The exhibit is called Lady Bird: Beyond the Wildflowers. Historically in Austin, Lady Bird Johnson has primarily been known as an environmentalist and advocate for local natural areas. But as this exhibit shows, she was so much more than that.
KVUE's Hannah Rucker sat down with Lady Bird Johnson's youngest daughter, Luci Johnson, who said she's excited for people to learn about her mom for the very first time.
"She really was so ahead of her time," said Johnson
The exhibit highlights other parts of her life as a journalist, an activist for those experiencing poverty, a mother, a businesswoman and someone who loved fashion and hosting gatherings.
You can find never-before-seen journal entries, articles of clothing, audiotapes of her and the former president throughout their adventures and time in the White House.
"They used the term beautification but she always found that wanting it seemed too cosmetic to her because it wasn't just making a world that was beautiful. It was making a world that was safer for all of us – the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we love," said Johnson
Johnson also commented on the Democrats leaving for Washington, D.C., to fight for Texas voting rights.
"Many of those legislatures are risking their political lives, they're hampering their families well being by being gone," said Johnson. "I believe that they are making a great sacrifice, I can't help but believe that Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson would be fiercely proud of them."
The exhibit is open from now until Aug.13, 2023.
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