Thursday, July 12, 2007

For the Beauty of America

No matter what state you live in, if you can drive down the highway in the spring and enjoy wildflowers and a billboard-free vista, you have Claudia Alta Taylor to thank for that pleasure.

Ladybird Johnson beautified our country as no other person has in her quest to plant literally millions of wildflower seeds and trees. The Highway Beautification Act of 1965 was signed by her husband Lyndon Johnson and dedicated to her.

A strong woman, I think that only she could have understood and adored her strong and eccentric husband LBJ. They are two Texans who changed the country for the better. If only their legacies (hers in beautification and his in civil rights) could be emulated by another Texan in contemporary times.
Well done, Ladybird! Thank you for all the bluebonnets.

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