University of Virginia Library

Impressions

Law President Visits
Johnson's Texas Ranch

By SANDRA DIVINE

"He was very kind, warm and
friendly. He obviously felt
good and contented about the
contributions he had made to
this country as far as domestic
policy goes, especially the
Head Start Program," Law
School President Linda
Howard said of former
President Lyndon B. Johnson
after her stay at his Texas
ranch Thursday and Friday.

Miss Howard was invited by
Mr. Johnson to visit the L.B.J.
School of Public Affairs at
the University of Texas at
Austin.

"He wrote to me last spring
indicating a certain amount of
interest in my future and
suggested I might be interested
in this school," Miss Howard
said.

The purpose of the
school, Miss Howard explained,
is to train people competent in
public affairs and government
to study problems such as
resource allocations.

"They teach the modern
techniques of local and

national government problem
solving. These are the kinds of
things most people who go into
these fields don't know
beforehand," she said.

"The president told me of
when he was in the White
House and trying to put
women and blacks in positions
of problem solving. It was hard
to find people who were really
competent," Miss Howard said.

Miss Howard described the
Johnson's home as the "most
comfortable home I had been
in in my entire life. It was soft,
you could sit anywhere.

"I suppose you could call it
simple luxury. It is not lacking
in anything for comfort or
convenience but there is nothing
extra."

Miss Howard said she was
shown Mr. Johnson's office in
the ranch house and asked to
pick out a picture of him to
take back.

"I picked the one that looked
most like the man I met. It was
one of him wearing a checked
shirt and a ten gallon hat," she
said.

He autographed it "For
Linda Howard, from your
friend Lyndon B. Johnson."

Mr. Johnson invited Miss
Howard to return for a
symposium Dec. 10 for
the opening of a collection of
significant papers on civil rights
from his administration.

"Just about everyone from
the field of civil rights will be
there," Miss Howard said.