LBJ School salutes 30th anniversary;
two-year celebration ends May 2002

A two-year anniversary celebration was launched at the LBJ School this past September, marking the date when the first class of students enrolled 30 years ago. The celebration will continue until the May 2002 commencement, 30 years after the first class graduated.

Three anniversary committees--a faculty-staff committee led by former deans Elspeth Rostow and Max Sherman, an alumni committee composed of one graduate from each year of the School's history, and a student committee--are coordinating the programs and events associated with the two-year celebration. More information on anniversary-related activities can be found on the School's Web page.

(See also: Anniversary Scrapbook)

Student committee hosts talk on Johnson years
The LBJ School's 30th anniversary student committee, led by second-year student Kathleen Lilly, organized a series of celebratory events in late March. Opening the series was an evening program featuring commentaries by George Christian, press secretary to President Johnson, and Harry Middleton, a Johnson White House staff assistant who has served as director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library since it opened in 1970.

Using selected tape recordings of President Johnson on the telephone, Christian and Middleton illustrated how LBJ used his legendary powers of persuasion to get his civil rights legislation passed, force a reluctant Senator Richard Russell to serve on the Warren Commission, and achieve other goals, including the creation of a presidential library and public affairs school at the University of Texas.

One recording, a conversation between Johnson and National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy, revealed LBJ's strong misgivings about U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and his personal anguish over sending young soldiers to a war he called "the biggest mess I ever saw."

The telephone tapes, which were released last year by the LBJ Library, have contributed to a revival of interest in the Johnson presidency, according to Middleton and Christian.

"LBJ was a man of tremendous ability and accomplishment," said Christian. "Those of us associated with him were aware that he went into somewhat of a historical decline, but he's now getting the recognition he deserves."

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May 14, 2001

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