 I've always found names
like that of her father to be interesting; other "presidential"
names that come to mind are George Washington Carver and George
Washington Ferris, inventor of the Ferris wheel.
When Claudia was 5, her mother died, so she was raised by her
father, her aunt and family servants. As a child, she had a nickname
that reflected her love of nature. It was a nickname that she
carried with her for a lifetime.
When she graduated from the University of Texas in 1934, she
planned on becoming a newspaper reporter. Soon after, she met a
congressional aide she would soon marry. He proposed to her only
seven weeks after their first date, and they were married just three
weeks later.
Her congressional aide husband continued to climb the political
ranks. He won a congressional election in 1937 but vacated the
office to join the Navy during World War II. Claudia took over his
office. When he returned, he ran for and lost his first bid for the
U.S. Senate, but he became a U.S. senator when he won his next
election.
In the meantime, Claudia bought the failing KTBC-AM radio station
in 1942, which was later renamed KLBJ-AM, and turned it into a media
empire. She became the first person to broadcast a TV signal in
Texas when she opened KTBC-TV on Thanksgiving Day in 1952. The Texas
Association of Broadcasters honored her this year with the
prestigious Pioneer Broadcaster of the Year award. Yet you probably
have never heard of Claudia Taylor.
By the way, in case you've never noticed, all radio and TV
stations east of the Mississippi River have call letters
beginning with the letter "W," while all stations west of the
Mississippi River have call letters beginning with the letter "K."
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 Claudia was a leader both in business and in community service.
She served as honorary chairman of the national Head Start program,
which gives preschool training to disadvantaged children.
She was well-known for her environmental work too. Her national
campaign for beautification resulted in the Highway Beautification
Act of 1965, and four years later she founded the Texas Highway
Beautification Award. Some of her work involved her close connection
to politics, and there's a reason for that.
She also received awards such as the Eleanor Roosevelt
Candlestick Award, from the Women's National Press Club in 1968; the
Medal of Freedom, from President Gerald Ford in 1977; the
Congressional Gold Medal in 1988; and the Theodore Roosevelt
National Park Medal of Honor in 2000.
During Claudia's time, it was unheard of for a woman to run for
president. There was nothing to prevent her from being married to a
president, though, which is exactly what she did when her husband
went on to become our nation's 36th president.
There's one other thing that I forgot to tell you earlier about
Claudia Taylor. The nickname she had as a young girl growing up in
Texas was "Lady Bird."
When she married Lyndon Johnson, she became Lady Bird Johnson.
The girl who was born in "The Brick House" later lived in the White
House.
But you knew that all along, didn't you.
[Text copied from file received
from Paul Niemann]
Paul Niemann may be reached at
niemann7@aol.com.
Copyright Paul Niemann 2007
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