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October 2008 eNewsletter
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Friends of the LBJ Library eNewsletter
October 2008
In This Issue
To the Moon: A New Exhibit
Astronaut Alan Bean Opens Art Show
Other Upcoming Events
Links for the Friends

Dear Friends,

Thanks for kicking off a new year of Evening With programs with us on September 16. As a reminder, David Grubin's award-winning biography of Lyndon Johnson, titled LBJ, will air on KLRU at 8 p.m. on the evenings of October 20 (part 1) and 27 (part two). Tune in to see the full biography!

On November 6, Harry Middleton and Robert Hardesty will present a compilation of reminiscences of Johnson by his family, friends, and former staff. The invitation will be mailed soon. I hope you will mark the date on your calendar and plan to join us!

Also, I encourage you to visit the Library's new exhibit on space and our new art show in the coming months. Please read below for more details.

Sincerely,

Betty Sue Flowers
Director

To the Moon: A New Exhibit
In honor of President Johnson's Centennial and the 50th anniversary of NASA, the LBJ Library & Museum presents To the Moon: The American Space Program in the 1960s, a major exhibit celebrating man's venture into space. From the time he was Senate Majority Leader in the 1950s, Lyndon Johnson did more to facilitate the rapid progress of the space program than any other American leader. Johnson co-sponsored legislation for the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958, and as Vice-President, was appointed Chairman of the National Space Council by President John F. Kennedy.

The primary focus of the exhibit is on "Sputnik" through the first moon landing of Apollo 11 in 1969. Each step of the space programs Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, is featured, as well as the milestone flights of astronauts Alan Shepard, John Glenn, and Ed White. To the Moon features eye-catching, visually attractive state-of-the-art elements to match the ambitious scope of the subject. To the Moon runs until the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, July 20, 2009.

The LBJ Library's space exhibit coincides with a space exhibit featuring Skylab, the Shuttle Missions, and the International Space Station at the George H. W. Bush Library at Texas A&M University at College Station.
Astronaut Alan Bean Opens Art Show
On October 1, 2008, the LBJ Library and Museum opened a new art show to complement our major exhibit on space. Alan Bean: First Artist to View Another World is on display in the Great Hall through late April. The paintings are created by the first artist, first Texan, and first University of Texas graduate to experience another world and return to paint his sights and feelings.

In 1969, as the Lunar Module pilot of Apollo XII, Captain Bean became the fourth man to walk on the moon. In 1973, he was Commander of Skylab Mission II (SL-3) and spent, at that time, a record-breaking 59 days orbiting the Earth. In 1981, astronaut Bean resigned from NASA to find a way to create paintings that celebrate one of the great accomplishments of human history, leaving our planet earth for the first time to journey to another world.

For the last 27 years Alan Bean has been busy creating a body of work that captures the spirit of Apollo. These are images and stories that tell of the incredible adventures and accomplishments of the 400,000 Americans who worked to make these first voyages into the universe a reality.

Come visit to see art that is truly out of this world!
Other Upcoming Events
Following are upcoming programs at the LBJ Library:
  • Oct. 7, 6-8:30 p.m.: Texas Forums will host a discussion on Coping with the Cost of Health Care in the Atrium of the LBJ Library.
  • Oct. 10, 4-5:30 p.m.: The LBJ Library will host a panel discussion on The Unlearned Lessons of the American War in Vietnam, followed by musical entertainment and a reception. This panel discussion is part of 1968: A Global Perspective, an interdisciplinary conference at The University of Texas co-sponsored by the LBJ Library. The conference begins October 7 with a lecture by Daniel Ellsberg and continues October 10-12. In addition to Ellsberg, keynote speakers include Kathleen Cleaver, Michael Hardt, Kristin Ross, and Diana Sorensen. Friends who wish to attend the October 10 discussion at the LBJ Library should please contact Sarah Groos by calling (512) 721-0176. Full conference details are available at www.1968conf.org.
  • Oct. 16, 5 p.m.: As part of the International Security Speaker Series, the Strauss Center presents Cold War Lessons and Contemporary Dilemmas, featuring Melvyn Leffler.
  • Oct. 21, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: As part of the Technology, Innovation and Global Security Speaker Series, the Strauss Center presents Science 2.0: Globalized Innovation in Electronics, featuring Dan Hutcheson.
  • Oct. 29, 5 p.m.: As part of the International Security Speaker Series, the Strauss Center presents Iraq and the Future of American Policy in the Persian Gulf, featuring F. Gregory Gause.
More information about these events is available on the Strauss Center's website and the LBJ Library's website.