Presidential parks to celebrate LBJ’s birth
A wreath at President and Mrs. Johnson’s gravesites at LBJ Ranch in Stonewall. Courtesy photo
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park and LBJ State Park and Historic Site in the Johnson City-Stonewall area are celebrating the 117th anniversary of President Johnson’s birth Aug. 27.
At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the National Park Service will host the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the president’s gravesite on LBJ Ranch on the national park grounds. The ceremony continues a tradition that Lady Bird Johnson began in 1973 for her late husband, whose grandparents settled in what is now Johnson City. Col. Erik L. Dutkiewicz will help present the wreath and provide remarks. President and Mrs. Johnson’s granddaughter Catherine Robb is the keynote speaker.
READ: Walk in the footsteps of President LBJ
Dutkiewicz serves as commander of 502d Security Forces Group, Joint Base San Antonio. As the installation’s senior law enforcement executive, the colonel leads 1,000 law enforcement, security, and legal professionals.
Robb, daughter of Lynda Johnson Robb and Charles Robb, is one of President Johnson’s seven grandchildren to carry on his legacy. She grew up in Virginia, where her father was elected governor and then U.S. senator, and later moved to Austin to study at the University of Texas School of Law, earning her degree with honors in 1998.
Living in Texas provided the opportunity to be with her beloved grandmother. Robb recalls spending each Tuesday with Lady Bird Johnson, cooking, watching PBS, or reading some of her grandmother’s favorite books. Today, Robb is a counsel in the Austin law firm of Haynes and Boone, specializing in media, First Amendment law, and intellectual property litigation. She serves in a variety of capacities, including as a member and chair of the KLRU board and council member for the University of Texas School of Undergraduate Studies and the LBJ School of Public Affairs.
Robb is also the founder, former chairman, and chair emeritus of the LBJ Library Future Forum. Having learned the value of philanthropy from her grandmother, she volunteers for several community nonprofits, including Reading is Fundamental of Austin, Trinity Center, and Volunteer Legal Services.
To view the wreath-laying ceremony, stop first at LBJ State Park to pick up a free vehicle permit and map. The state park’s visitor center will open at 8:30 am. The LBJ Ranch gate opens at 9 am. The Johnson Family Cemetery is located just inside the ranch entrance. Allow plenty of time to arrive at the cemetery prior to 10 a.m.
FUN & GAMES
LBJ State Park’s Sauer-Beckmann Farm is holding a presidential birthday celebration from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, with old-fashioned games for all ages. Admission to the park and farm are free.