Sunday: LBJ Library

Several people told us to be sure to see the LBJ Library. Having never seen a presidential library, I wasn't sure what to expect and I surely never expected that I spend the whole 2 hours I was there tearing up. It was an incredibly moving experience.

The museum presents LBJ's and Lady Bird's lives literally against a backdrop of the events that were occurring at the time. It's a remarkably accessible way to tell their story. The exhibit presents hand-written and hand-typed letters to and from LBJ, e.g. a letter in which Barry Goldwater told LBJ he'd always respected him, and that he had made a terrible mistake in agreeing to be JFK's VP. Also a letter from Jackie on the day after JFK's funeral, thanking LBJ for his many kindnesses and for serving as VP to a man he had mentored when he was the senate majority leader and JFK was the freshman senator from Massachusetts.

The exhibit did a wonderful job of depicting the many significant events of the 60's: the war on poverty - Head Start, Medicare, Medicaid, Legal Aid, the Voting Rights Act, the assassinations of MLK and Bobby K., the race riots, the war protests, and, of course, the Vietnam War. I came away from the museum with a much greater sense of appreciation for Johnson and all that his administration accomplished for civil rights and justice - something that I lost sight of in the 60's in my opposition to the war. The other, even stronger feeling, was profound sadness at how badly our society has failed to fulfill the promises of justice, fairness, and equality embodied in the laws that Congress passed during the Johnson administration. I came away from the exhibit with the sense that Johnson was, in fact, a man of deep conviction and one who, as president, tried sincerely to do the right thing for the U.S., and especially for the poor people of this country. As Peggy said when we were leaving, "We've lost so much of what we gained in the 60's."

If you visit Austin, you must visit the LBJ library. It's really something. And if you lived through the 60's, it'll take you back there.

Rosemary