Thanks, Lady Bird

[redsmetz]

I was sad to hear that Lady Bird Johnson died yesterday. I always wanted to write her a note; an idea I first had as my family and I drove out to DC for a vacation and saw the beautiful wildflowers planted throughout the medians in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. We haven't traveled much, but as we've gone to various destinations, we've seen the results of her pushing to beautify America's highways. A wonderful legacy to be remembered by.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/12/wa...prod=permalink

Mrs. Johnson developed her own public projects. She was an early supporter of the environment and, in championing highway beautification, worked to banish billboards and plant flowers and trees.

The Lady Bird Johnson Park in Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, is an outgrowth of her First Lady’s Committee for a More Beautiful Capital. She founded the $10 million National Wildflower Research Center in Austin, Tex., which opened in April 1995 and changed its name to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in 1998. The center conducts research and provides information on plants, landscaping and conservation.

[redsmetz]

Here's a couple of shots of the fruits of her labors:

[Degenerate39]

I thought the title of the thread was Thanks, Larry Bird

[Unassisted]

Lady Bird's funeral procession will travel between the funeral and the burial location along a 50-mile stretch of highway that's about 50 miles north of me. The public is invited to park along the highway and pay their respects. Even though her time in the White House happened when (and before) I was a kid, I'm considering making the trip just because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something like that.

[Roy Tucker]

[UKFlounder]

I wasn't born until 1973 and did not know a lot about her, but I, sadly, did not even realize she had lived so long until I heard about her passing.

A lot of first ladies have done a lot of public good from that position and probably deserve more credit than they get. It must be tough at times, especially in controversial eras such as Vietnam.

RIP Mrs. Johnson