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January 2012 eNewsletter
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Friends of the LBJ Library eNewsletter
January 2012
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Dear Friends,

2012 will be a momentous year for the LBJ Library. As you know, our museum redesign project is already underway, and, by December, we'll be able to share with you a brand new, state-of-the-art core exhibit shedding a 21st century light on President Johnson, his legacy, and impact.

Throughout this year, we'll also mark the centennial of Mrs. Johnson, who would have celebrated her one hundredth birthday on December 22.

Later this month, on January 26, we'll begin another year of great programming for you as we welcome David and Julie Eisenhower, who will speak on their experiences as the grandson of Dwight Eisenhower and daughter of Richard Nixon, respectively. Invitations will be mailed within the week, but in the meantime, please save the date.

Happy New Year,

Mark K. Updegrove
Director

An Evening With David and Julie Eisenhower
The LBJ Library invites you to a conversation with David and Julie Eisenhower on Thursday, January 26 at 6:00 p.m. The evening will be co-presented by The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

David Eisenhower is a historian and Director of the Institute for Public Service at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. The grandson of President Dwight Eisenhower, he is the author of the bestseller Eisenhower: At War, 1943-1945, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Julie Nixon Eisenhower, the daughter of President Richard Nixon, is a best-selling author, editor, and public speaker on such subjects as the presidency, women in politics, and life in the White House. Together they wrote Going Home to Glory: A Memoir of Life with Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961-1969.

An RSVP is required to attend. Please return the postcard to come with your invitation or email your response to friends@lbjlibrary.net by January 19. Please bring your membership cards for admittance; your membership card will serve as your ticket. The doors will open at 5:15 p.m. A reception will follow the program.

Free parking is available in the Library visitors' lot (#38) and lots #37 and #39. Please let the parking attendant know you are attending the Eisenhower program.

Photo courtesy of Julie Eisenhower.
A New Look at the LBJ Library & Museum
The LBJ Library and Museum has begun work on a major redesign that will give visitors a contemporary, engaging experience relating to one of the most significant presidents and eras in our country's history. In the coming year, new exhibits will be installed on the three public exhibit floors of the Library, giving the interior a completely new look and feel.

Please visit the renovation project webpage for a timeline, video from the Director about the project, behind the scenes pictures, and a link to our Tumblr site. You may also sign up for monthly email progress reports which will feature new photos and videos.
Mrs. Johnson's Centennial Year
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Elementary
Had she lived, Mrs. Johnson would celebrate her 100th birthday on December 22 of this year. The Texas legislature has designated 2012 the Lady Bird Johnson Centennial Year. As such, we will remember Mrs. Johnson each month in our eNewsletter, and - later this year - in programs at the Library. I hope you will join us in honoring her legacy.

Experiences in the White House

Suddenly catapulted into the role of First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson did so with resolute courage. Understanding that she had been gifted a rare chance to make a difference in the world, Mrs. Johnson set out to do just that. Whether it was continuing the White House preservation efforts that Jacqueline Kennedy started, immersing herself in the national Project Head Start, or beautifying our nation's capital, she accomplished many things. She orally recounted most days' events via tape recorder, thus laying the foundation for her later book, A White House Diary.

But the privilege of being first lady came with a toll. Perhaps her most difficult assignment was embarking on a whistle-stop tour of southern states after President Johnson had seen to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which put an end to Jim Crow laws that had prevailed throughout the South. Along the way, Mrs. Johnson was met with invective that no first lady has experienced since. But the ultimate success of the trip, as she defended the need for the Civil Rights Act, was a testament to Mrs. Johnson's spirit and stoicism. While she loved her role as first lady--and America loved her back--she wrote at the end of her tenure, "I wouldn't trade anything for the experience. But not for anything would I pay for the price of admission again."

LBJ Library photo by Robert Knudsen, taken on the White House grounds on October 20, 1967.
New membership cards
Our Friends membership cards are getting a new look. The new cards are personalized with each member's name, level of membership, and renewal date. Cards were sent to many of our members over the holidays, and everyone should receive a new card by mid-month.

This is a good time to update your information on file with us. If you have any changes to your address, phone, email, or names on the card, please email friends@lbjlibrary.net. Your card will serve as your admittance for many of our events; please remember to bring it with you to the Library.
LBJ Library on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter
We are blogging the life and legacy of Lyndon Baines Johnson at the LBJ Time Machine Tumblr. Join us on a 13-month ride, starting with the birth of LBJ in 1908 and continuing right up to the current day. We'll follow him through his early years in Texas, to Congress and the presidency, and then back to Texas and the building of his legacy, including the LBJ Foundation, the LBJ Library, and the LBJ School. Along the way we'll hear the voice of LBJ as preserved in the Archives, watch Lady Bird's home movies, review plans for the Library, and see Museum exhibits go up and come down. The ride through time will end at the grand re-opening of the LBJ Library and Museum on December 22, 2012.

The LBJ Library & Museum has a page on Facebook! Become a fan today to receive the latest news, announcements, and public event information.

The LBJ Library is also on Twitter. Join the conversation now!

For any questions related to your Friends of the LBJ Library membership, please email friends@lbjlibrary.net.
Friends of the LBJ Library
LBJ Library and Museum

phone: (512) 721-0176