Conversations with Lady Bird Johnson

MARCH 26, 2013 (AUSTIN, TX) - Explore the warmth, independence, and wit of one of Texas's finest daughters. Michael Gillette, former director of the LBJ Library's Oral History program will present insights into the life of the former First Lady and her lasting legacy on the state of Texas, on April 9, 2013 at 6pm at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. A reception and book signing will follow the lecture.

Over a span of eighteen years, Lady Bird Johnson recorded forty-seven oral history interviews with Michael Gillette and his colleagues. These conversations, just released in 2011, form the heart of Lady Bird Johnson's intimate story of a shy young country girls transformation into one of America's most effective and admired First Ladies.

Lady Bird Johnson's odyssey is one of personal and intellectual growth, political and financial ambition, and a shared life with Lyndon Baines Johnson, one of the most complicated, volatile, and powerful presidents of the 20th century. The former First Lady recounts how a cautious, conservative young woman succumbed to an ultimatum to marry a man she had known for less than three months, how she ran his congressional office during World War II, and how she transformed a struggling Austin radio station into the foundation of a communications empire. Lady Bird Johnson shares dramatic accounts of pivotal moments in American history and paints rich verbal portraits of scores of personalities including former First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Truman, Mamie Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy and Pat Nixon.

Michael Gillette has been Humanities Texas's executive director since 2003. His former positions include directing the LBJ Library's Oral History Program, director of the Center for Legislative Archives and serves on numerous advisory boards.

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​​The Bullock Texas State History Museum, a division of the State Preservation Board and an accredited institution of the American Alliance of Museums, creates experiences that educate, engage, and encourage a deeper understanding of Texas. With dynamic, award-winning exhibitions that illuminate Texas history, people, and culture, educational programming for all ages, and an IMAX® theater with a screen the size of Texas, the Museum collaborates with more than 700 museums, libraries, archives, organizations, and individuals across the world to bring the Story of Texas to life. For more information, visit www.TheStoryofTexas.com or call (866)369-7108.