 Hello and welcome to this special program to commemorate the birthday of the 36th President of the United States Lyndon Baines Johnson. My name is Mark Lawrence, and I'm the director of the LBJ Library and Museum here in Austin, Texas It's my great pleasure to be the host for today's Remembrance ceremonies Over the years President Johnson's family friends and admirers have gathered in two different locations on or close to his birthday on August 27th To celebrate his remarkable life with brief ceremonies culminating in the laying of wreaths One such ceremony has taken place over the years at the Lyndon B. Johnson Memorial Grove Just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC The second ceremony has been held at President Johnson's graveside at the LBJ Ranch in Stonewell, Texas about 40 miles outside Austin Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic neither of these events can be held in the usual way It's simply impossible to invite people to gather in either location But the silver lining on this situation is that we can proceed in this virtual format Which enables us to invite everyone to watch both wreath laying ceremonies, even though they're taking place 1500 miles apart In just a few moments. We'll see the ceremonies from the LBJ Grove where Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson's elder daughter Linda Johnson Rob will place a wreath at the monument At the end of our program will take you to the LBJ Ranch where President and Mrs. Johnson's younger daughter Lucy Baines Johnson will lay the wreath at her father's grave We'll also hear today a few brief remarks about Lyndon Johnson's life and legacy Including reflections by two outstanding undergraduate students at the University of Texas at Austin Both of these students took part recently in a class entitled the Johnson years Which I co-taught with Mark up to Grove the president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation Mark and I thought there could be no better tribute to President Johnson Than to hear from young people who have delved into the history of the 1960s And who have been inspired by President Johnson's leadership to consider careers in public service To begin our program today, I'd like to pass the baton to my friend Christopher Bjornsson at the LBJ Grove Along the banks of the Potomac Chris is a lawyer in Washington who has long been active in the Texas state society an Organization that was founded back in 1904 to build community among Texans living in the nation's capital Chris has coordinated the wreath laying at the Grove for several years And I want to thank him for all the work he has done to assure that this tradition would continue in 2020 Chris over to you Good afternoon on behalf of the Texas State Society Welcome to our annual celebration of President Lyndon Johnson's birthday President Johnson, of course, is president United States. He was also president of the Texas State Society two times Typically we hold this event on the closest Saturday to his birthday But this year things are a little bit different as dr. Lawrence indicated so we're doing this virtually and fortunately We're able to do this in partnership with the LBJ library and the LBJ Ranch this year Typically what we do here is we have a speaker and dr. Lawrence and the two students from the University of Texas will be our Keynote speaker this year and we have a wreath laying ceremony that we're going to have shortly We're honored to have dr. Amy Butler from National City Christian Church and Linda Johnson Rob daughter of president Johnson here with us today I'm going to ask dr. Butler to provide an invocation She's a senior pastor at National City Christian Church, which is where president and mrs. Johnson attended services when they lived in Washington, DC dr. Butler What an honor to be here, and I bring greetings on behalf of National City Christian Church Shall we pray? Gracious and loving God as Your people today, we acknowledge you the spirit that animates our lives and calls us to live in this world embracing our better angels caring for our neighbors and Working with every resource we have to create a human community and an earth in which we live That reflects your highest hopes for us all In this moment as we consider the value and choice of good leadership We ask that we would have the courage to follow the good examples set for us Thank you for the gift of memory and all the possibilities that it offers us as we face an uncertain future We invite you to be with us today as we remember in the name of the God who calls us to good and faithful work and Service in the world we pray Amen, I would like to thank the park service for letting us do this every year. They are wonderful They bring out chairs. They help us. They let us be here and So it's a great pleasure even though we're all isolated and we're doing everything remotely It's wonderful that we are able to to gather to remember daddy's birthday nobody loved birthdays more than my father and We could miss another holiday at the ranch, but we could never miss Not being there on August 27th, and he celebrated a birthday and it was wonderful Wonderful, and it's such a pleasure to have this sponsored every year by the Texas State Society it's a non-partisan group made up of Texans and I know daddy would be so pleased to Know that they still remember him and actually he was very proud of being the president of the Texas State Society, and I will never forget the year he got Jean Autry to come and I have an autographed Picture that I hang on my wall now of Jean Autry It was wonderful to be so Surrounded by somebody famous and we are triply honored three times honored by having a Amy here Reverend Amy from the first city Christian Because my father got such Such joy from going there, and it sustained in in times that were not unlike these times very stressful and Time when we have to call everybody together in this country to work to make it a better place and they give out food To the homeless and to those who need just a little bit more the working poor and That would be something that daddy would also be so pleased that that's continuing So I thank you for watching. I thank you for recognizing daddy and all the things he tried to do together with you and I hope that we have a happy birthday celebration Here and in Austin and at the ranch today. Thank you. Thank you Amy and Linda I'd like to ask both of you now to Lay the wreath On behalf of the Texas State Society I'd like to thank the National Park Service National City Christian Church Brad castles Kathy LaCheris and Linda Robb for their help with the ceremony today. Thank you very much. Happy birthday President Johnson back to you and in Austin mark Thank You Linda Chris and all those who participated in those moving ceremonies Now I'd like to introduce two Extraordinary students at the University of Texas at Austin who have recently studied the LBJ presidency First we'll hear from on a good carry a senior from Dallas who is majoring in government and was recently elected student body president Next we'll hear from Ali Zaidi who is a senior from Missouri City, Texas He's majoring in government and Middle Eastern studies And he's also a Thomas Jefferson scholar pursuing a certificate in Cortex and ideas Hello, it is an honor to speak to you all virtually for President Johnson's birthday celebration Although it has been 51 years since Johnson's presidency his progressive impact has stood the test of time on American society LBJ's legacy is remarkable ranging from the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the war on poverty to many more accomplishments He was a man who got things done When thinking about how President Johnson inspires me a number of things come to mind Johnson led this nation forward through some of our most decisive moments of progress But it's important to note that even then there were many who were against his progress President Johnson went against the grain He did things that were unpopular at the time for the greater good of the nation In my opinion Sacrificing one short-term reputation for the long-term Well-being of our country is the ultimate mark of a true patriot and that is what President Johnson is This year we are approaching the 55th anniversary of the immigration act My classmate Ali and I would like to underscore the great legacy of this act Of President Johnson's many accomplishments This one is most meaningful to my family and I because it changed the trajectory of our lives forever My grandparents Vasudev and Vatsalagabur came to the United States from India in 1968 with my mother when she was just a mere three years old They settled down in the bustling New York City where my grandmother taught classical Indian music to other immigrant families And my grandfather established himself as a pediatrician From there they laid the foundation for my family in america the land of opportunity Life was not easy, but my grandparents worked hard and humbly in their new country Later on my dad moved from India and married my mom having me and my four siblings My mom is a dentist and my dad is a physician My parents have worked so hard to give us the opportunities and education that they and my grandparents didn't have Raising us to be grateful for our dual identity Honestly, this all traces back to the opportunity that we had to come to this country over 50 years ago because of the immigration bill The beautiful thing about the united states is whether your family has lived in this country for hundreds of years Or just five years. We all equally make up this beautiful conglomerate of an american society In 1965 lbj was able to recognize the value of every sort of immigrant and the diverse nation We live in today is proof of that As we think about lbj's legacy of leadership today I think it's important now more than ever that we reflect on his life as something to keep putting into action This is especially imperative regarding his strides and civil rights as we continue to refuse to settle when it comes to the fight for equality I'd like to end with an lbj quote from his inaugural address that feels very relevant to present day We are one nation and one people Our fate as a nation and our future as a people rest not upon one citizen, but upon all citizens This is the majesty and the meaning of this moment Happy birthday president johnson and as our gift to you We longhorns texans and americans vow to rise up and demand equality as you did Thank you On october 3rd 1965 president johnson signed into law the immigration nationality act At the feet of lady liberty lbj proclaimed Our beautiful america was built by a nation of strangers From a hundred different places or more they have poured forth into an empty land Joining and blending in one mighty and irresistible time Nearly 20 years after the signing of that bill with empty pockets, but filled with dreams as big as america herself My father left karachi pakistan for houston texas to chase the american dream The the simple fact is that without that signature Without that bill and many others like it without lbj My story isn't possible That is the legacy of lbj with the stroke of his pen signing bill after bill He wrote the first chapter of an entire generation of americans Because in every sense we are today living in london johnson's america one that he forged through brute force as part of an unrelenting pursuit of progress One of my favorite sites in the lbj library is the large red panel that displays the full breath of the great society On it lists the many and i mean many great pieces of the great society that lbj passed and Every time i look at that panel i stand there and wonder how one man could accomplish so much You see lbj had this drive this unrelenting determination to right the wrongs that had persisted for far too long So that when we say life liberty the pursuit of happiness for all That isn't just some platitude that it's a reality For him from katula to washington and back. This was his life's work and he never Ever relented But like all of us lbj was human. He was an imperfect man who nonetheless built a more perfect union It's one of the many reasons you can't help but become enthralled by lbj Because in many ways he's this tragic Shakespearean figure that dedicated every fiber of his being to the unrelenting pursuit of progress His life teaches us that meaningful progress demands personal sacrifice and that the greater the progress the greater the sacrifice And at a time when our leaders seem unable to make the personal and political sacrifices necessary to Move the nation forward lbj stands as this incredible figure that gave everything for the causes of civil rights and economic justice Knowing full well the personal and political consequences We live in a time of great national crisis when government is seemingly paralyzed and Unfit to the grand task before us if lbj teaches us anything It's that government can be a place where we come together to solve our greatest challenge Is that government can be a great vehicle for our highest aspirations? It is a tool to be wielded He made government work because to liberals and conservatives to democrats and republicans alike. He said come Let us reason together because if he could make even an inch of progress That would mean that america was an inch closer to being a more perfect union I'm part of an actress generation that is intent on solving the systemic inequities present in our nation In that effort, there is no better guy than lbj who brought the full force of government to bear on every instance of racial and economic injustice He was a progressive in every sense of the word and medicaid medicare head star civil rights He made progress on every front That's his legacy And now 50 years later. It's incumbent upon us my generation To carry that spirit forward into the 21st century. Thank you and hook em horns I'd like to conclude our program with a video that was recorded early this morning President johnson's 112th birthday Let's join lucy baines johnson at the family burial plot at the lbj ranch Thanks so much to lucy for keeping this tradition going and for inviting us all to join her today marks 112th anniversary of the day linden baines johnson discovered america in a small country home Just behind me here in the linden baines johnson historical park About a block down the way is a one-room school house My father first attended and where he began to recognize that education could be His passport out of poverty Many years later as a young student at what is now known as texas state university linden johnson recognized that the money was not enough And so he took a job in katula texas at what was then a latino school Teaching poor children who had never known some of the luxuries that he had It was there that he first recognized What real poverty is and there that he began his life's commitment To civil rights and to social justice and to education Today the park Has been led by its national director david vella a graduate Of project head start one of those great educational programs passed during my father's generation And indeed the ford foundation Is headed by darin walker another graduate of head start But the what i'd like to share with you today Is a head start success story from a young girl from apalachia Candace called it is indeed the best birthday present my father could ever receive Dear lucy I hope this letter finds you well It has done my heart good to see the researching of people Acknowledging the good your father did for people born with uphill challenges through no fault of their own I watched john lewis's funeral and heard your father being credited for his role in not only civil rights legislation But head start I read your august 6 usa today letter and cried For me it has always been So very personal You wrote those words, but your words are my story too My father was the abusive alcoholic moonshiner Your father was the president Our american lives are connected Because of head start I retired from being a principal At the end of february Being an educator has always been So very personal to me Reminding teachers that kids like me Could make it and leading schools that help kids believe in a future better than they're present I will continue to pay forward the gift head start gave me As long as i have breath This morning I listened to darren walker give praise the legacy of linden johnson's head start And the role that it played in his life I wish today leaders could see the returns on the financial investment of head start rival any market gains ever made Your father was wise enough to understand the moral obligation of investing in people As well as the common sense financial rewards I don't remember when I first heard it Is better to invest in children than to pay the price For repairing adults But the thought has stuck with me throughout my life I'm now on a mission to live a life based on lessons and experiences Learned in the first half I will be forever grateful for the role president johnson played In the success story of my life, which I pray Has led to success stories for many others I will forever cherish the time I sat eating a meal beside your mother I will be forever inspired by your words and time Shared with your family when I was just a beginning principal I would tell the stories you told me to friends and and shared them in speeches with others Thank your family for being the spirit passionate and kind people that you are sincerely Candice the stories Candice call And david veller And darin walker Are the success stories? of head start one a latino boy another young black man from north texas of a third an appalachian girl All three beneficiaries Of the greatest investment that any of us can make in our children It was linden johnson's dream To help them make the success stories that they have This letter is indeed the best birthday present he could ever have