AUSTIN, Texas — For Nicole Nugent Covert, having Lady Bird Johnson as a grandma was, as she says, “a blessing.”
Covert, the daughter of Luci Baines Johnson and Patrick Nugent, recently spoke with KVUE about having a famous grandmother who she says always took time out for her grandchildren and great grandkids.
“I was fortunate because my kids were raised in Austin, too, and we used to live right down the street from her," Covert said. “And so, we would always stop by her house and my kids would read to her.”
Covert said her young son, John, would read his great-grandmother books about baseball.
“I’m not sure if she was [as] keen on the baseball books as he was, but it was just such a nice way to see my kids reciprocate so much of what she did when she read to them. And my grandmother just relished being around them," Covert said.
Lady Bird Johnson’s family life and her life in the worlds of politics and business, as well as her tireless efforts as an environmentalist, are now on display in a special exhibition at the LBJ Library and Museum in Austin.
The exhibition offers an opportunity to view the many facets of her life. From her youth in East Texas to her many years alongside her husband, Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president of the U.S., and her prominent role as a civic leader in Austin after LBJ's death in 1973.
Lady Bird Johnson passed away in 2007.
“She wanted to leave this place a better place than she found it, and she truly did, “ Covert said. “And when I walk on the campus of the University of Texas, and I see so many things that she touched and see her name on so many of the buildings, I'm so appreciative of all of the things that she did in giving back to all of us without many of us really knowing.”
Austin honored the memory of Lady Bird Johnson when the city council renamed Town Lake after her.
“You know, we walk around Lady Bird Lake right now and it was Town Lake and for years, [City Hall] had asked if they could rename the lake in her honor and she said, 'Absolutely not,'" Covert said. "Then she agreed upon her death that she would let the city rename it. And it's a tribute to who she was and what she cared about. And the environment is what she cared most about.”
On a personal level, Covert said Lady Bird Johnson’s ultimate legacy is likely the impact she had on the lives of others, family and strangers alike.
“I have to say, she was an incredible grandmother and she was able to touch the lives of hundreds and thousands, if not millions of people," Covert said.
The exhibition, "Lady Bird: Beyond the Wildflowers," will continue through Aug. 13 at the LBJ Library and Museum on the University of Texas at Austin campus.