The LBJ Museum of San Marcos has established the “Claudia Taylor Johnson Endowment” in honor of Lady Bird Johnson, the First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969.
Her courage, devotion, and business acumen were constant influences on Lyndon Johnson’s long and successful political career. She was dedicated to the beautification of the nation’s cities and highways, thereby leaving her own great legacy visible to this day all across America.
The Claudia Taylor Johnson Endowment will raise funds from donations, gifts, and fundraisers. Endowment funds will enable the creation of new Museum exhibits, as well as updates to existing exhibits, allow the acquisition of artifacts of historical interest, permit the Museum to host visiting exhibits from other sources, and provide support for Museum programs, special projects, and events.
The LBJ Museum collection features photographs, paintings, statuary, campaign and presidential mementos, news clippings, book collections, and memorabilia from President Johnson’s college days. The Museum has on exhibit the desk where LBJ signed the Higher Education Act in 1965 and the pens he used to sign major legislation.
Lady Bird at the LBJ Museum
“The Lady Bird Special” is a unique exhibit on the Museum’s second floor recounting Mrs. Johnson’s October 1964, four-day, 1,628-mile campaign trip aboard a train dubbed the Lady Bird Special. Traveling solo, the First Lady toured eight Southern States during a period of great racial tension and just a few months after President Johnson signed the historic Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964.
Her whistle-stop tour, before sometimes hostile crowds, allowed Mrs. Johnson to demonstrate her strong support of civil rights and the President’s programs—and her deep love for the South.
