'Lady Bird' topic of Club au Courant meeting

L to R Dorothy Camp, program presenter, with hostesses, Agnes Oliver, Marion Dovel, Clemmie Richards Club au Courant met in the home of Agnes Oliver on Dec. 19, and Dorothy Camp gave an entertaining program about former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson.

Serving as co-hostesses were Clemmie Richards and Marian Dovel. Members and guests congregated in the den and were served an assortment of delicious treats. Mrs. Dovel presided at the head table. The centerpiece was a sentimental pair of Pilgrims that have been a part of Mrs. Oliver's traditional Thanksgiving for many years. The Pilgrims were nestled among a group of miniature pumpkins.

President Jan Elliott led the club's Collect prior to the serving of refreshments and welcomed guests Betty Fowler, Clara Carter, Micah Mitchell and Norma Norris. Also, "Happy Birthday" was sung to Betty Fowler, Pat Sers and President Elliott. A birthday card from the club was presented to President Ellis.

Committee reports were given. Marcella Harkrider outlined the plans for the club's Christmas Tea to be held at Kilgore Public Library from 2 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17. Donations for Helping Hands were collected.

Mrs. Camp said First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, "who grew up practically in our backyard," became of the most popular first ladies behind Eleanor Roosevelt and Abigail Adams.

She detailed Lady Bird's life, beginning with her mother's death when Lady Bird was 5 years old. A sickly old-maid aunt, who came to live with the family and help run the household, instilled in Lady Bird a love for literature and nature.

She graduated at the age of 15 from Marshall High School just half a percentage point behind the top two graduates, which she maneuvered so she wouldn't have to give a speech at graduation. She was extremely shy. Being too young to enroll in college, she enrolled in St. Mary's Episcopal School in Dallas. Later the attended the University of Texas at Austin and received a liberal arts degree, then went an extra year to attain a journalism degree and a teacher's certificate.

Lady Bird was not your usual college student. She had a car, a charge card at Neiman Marcus and a checkbook where she could write out any amount within reason. Because of her frugal spending habits, even wearing her aunt's cast-off coats, she was never the belle at parties. It is said she still bought seconds in linens after becoming a multimillionaire. Also, it was reported she borrowed the proper black attire to wear to JFK's funeral.

Soon after finishing college she met Lyndon Johnson.

"Now, Lyndon made it no secret that some day he was going to marry a rich girl," Mrs. Camp said. "In fact, it was her money that staked him in a race for senator, the buying of KTBC, a bankrupt radio station in Austin which eventually netted the Johnsons an annual income of $50,000-plus. Also, Lyndon was offered 19 acres of prime real estate in Austin and Lady Bird again borrowed against her inheritance."

After a seven-week courtship, Lyndon demanded they marry right then or never. The engagement lasted as long as it took to drive from Karnack to San Antonio, where Lyndon had a friend who had influence at city hall. He called on the way and had him to get a marriage license immediately. During the ceremony, Lyndon did not have a ring so his friend ran across the street to Sears and Roebuck, returned with a tray of rings and Lady Bird selected one which cost $2.50. In November 1934, at the age of 22, Lady Bird became Mrs. Lyndon Baines Johnson.

After a brief honeymoon to Mexico, they settled in a small one-bedroom apartment in D.C. Lady Bird, who had been use to a houseful of servants, never cooked a meal or swept a floor, learned to manage her household on Lyndon's salary of $265 a month. He kept $100 and Lady Bird managed the other $165 by paying the rent, utilities and learning how to buy the exact amount of food for however many guests were coming for dinner, plus buying an $18.75 Saving Bond each month.

Mrs. Camp talked of how Lady Bird learned to overcome her shyness. Lady Bird said, "Lyndon's ambitions became my ambitions." When he ran for president, she had a train called "The Lady Bird Special," which ran from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans. Along the way she gave 47 speeches. While in office she gave 164 speeches and made more than 700 appearances.

Because of her love for nature, her "First Lady's cause" was highway beautification, which became known as the "Lady Bird Bill." The bill restricted billboards along major highways and provided funding for public landscaping. Mrs. Camp told an interesting story about the cars of the 1960s, when they had a small window next to the big rolled-up window.

"You could open this little window to let in fresh air," Mrs. Camp explained. "Lady Bird discovered it was so convenient for people to flick out their cigarette butts, so she asked the major companies if they could eliminate that window, and they did."

During her 39 years of public service, she received many tributes, awards, degrees and at least three doctorates. A little island in the Potomac River was renamed Lady Bird Johnson Park. In Texas, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center now consists of 279 acres and more than 700 species of plants in the Texas Hill Country.

Other interesting stories about the Johnsons were related by Mrs. Camp and she concluded her talk stating the song "Stand by Your Man" could have been written for Mrs. Johnson as "she certainly stood by her man."

Members attending were Frances Adams, the Rev. Charlotte Austin, Dimples Burns, Mrs. Camp, Mrs. Dovel, Mrs. Elliott, Marcella Harkrider, Yvonne Kennedy, Kay McKinley, Agnes Oliver, Vivian Patton, Clemmie Richards, Ima Roberts, Pat Sers, Janis Slayter, Justine Stanley, Dr. Opal Stewart and Dianne Wilson.