I was born in Texas, at the San Marcos AFB near San Antonio. My family moved north while I was still an infant. My last visit down there was in 1973, and I was amazed at the wild flowers growing along the highway as we drove through the state down to Galveston. It gave the state a warmer, more inviting aspect that was not apparent anywhere else on the trip down 35 from Minnesota.

This is the legacy of Ladybird (Claudia) Johnson, wife of former President Lyndon Johnson (LBJ). She was a woman ahead of her time in her ideas of conservation, and she left her mark on her beloved state. As devoted as she was to her husband, it was a shame that she lived almost as long after his death alone as she was able to live with him; she has now gone to join him once again. Rest in Peace, and thank you.