Lttle Claudia's nursemaid Alice
Tuttle would often recite the following poem to her
| |
Ladybird, ladybird fly away home,
Your house is on fire and your children are
gone,
All except one,
And her name is Ann,
And she hid under the baking pan
|
|
and began to call her "Lady Bird"
because she was
"purty as a ladybird" and the name stuck. Little
Lady Bird had planned on become a journalist when she studied journalism at
University of Texas at Austin and graduating with honors. But ten
weeks after graduating, she met Lyndon Baines Johnson and began a whirlwind
courtship. Lyndon was immediately smitten by her and proposed marriage on
their first date,which somewhat ruffled her feathers and she did not accept.
But Lyndon was persistent and she finally gave in and they were married
three months after their first date.
When her politically ambitious husband decided to run for Congress Lady Bird
took $10,000 of her inheritance from her mother's estate to help start his
political career. He won the election and they moved their nest to
Washington, DC. She then used the more of her inheritance to purchase
Austin Texas KTBC, from a three-man partnership which included a future U.S.
Secretary of the Navy and a future US Secretary of the Treasury. She then
decided to expand her media empire by buying TV station
KTBC-TV/7 in 1952 with the balance of her
inheritance.which eventually made the Johnsons millionaires.
When Lyndon became President, Lady Bird helped restructured the First Lady's
office with a press secretary and chief of staff of her own and an outside
liaison with Congress .She remained close to Jackie Kennedy after JFK's
assassination, and Jackie once wrote that
"Lady Bird has a great heart and tireless energy. Those who know and love
her have benefited from these qualities as have countless others she has
never met.” In a 1982 poll taken of historians ranking the most influential
and important First Ladies, Johnson placed third behind Abigail Adams and
Eleanor Roosevelt for her work as an advocate for beautification of
the nation's cities and highways and conservation of natural resources.
Lady Bird also loved to cook and many her
recipies are featured in the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
So it seems appropriate to celebrate Lady Bird's birthday with Lyndon's
favorite Pedernales River Chili which is named after Lyndon's love of the
Texas Pedernales River hill country. Lyndon loved Lady Bird's chili and once
remarked "Chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic
imitation of the real thing. One of the first things I do when I get home to
Texas is to have a bowl of red. There is simply nothing better." It is also
a treat to watch her on a DVD of The Dick Cavett Show (1971).on the
April 16, 1971 episode.
Ingredients |
