Lady Bird Johnson, 1912 - 2007

Lyndon Johnson takes the oath of office to become president as Lady Bird, left, and Jacqueline Kennedy look on. Lady Bird was a passenger in the presidential motorcade in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, when President Kennedy, riding two cars ahead of her, was shot. After Lyndon became president, Lady Bird told a friend, “I feel like I am onstage for a part I never rehearsed.”  (Cecil Staighton / AP)

Lady Bird at the opening ceremony for the National Wildflower Research Center in Austin, Texas, in 1995. With her are Walter Cronkite, left, and Nash Castro, president of the research center.  (Michelle Bridwell / AP)

Lady Bird looks over blooming bluebonnets at the National Wildflower Research Center.  (Jack Plunkett / AP)

Lady Bird on a visit to Georgia in 1997. After her husband’s death, Lady Bird traveled widely and collected awards, including the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, and a Congressional Gold Medal.  (Columbus Ledger Enquirer / AP)

Lady Bird Johnson, second from right, with former first ladies, from left, Betty Ford, Barbara Bush and Rosalynn Carter, in 1999.  (Diane Bondareff / AP)

President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, center, preside over a dinner in 2000 to honor the 200th anniversary of the White House. They are joined by former President Bush, left, and his wife, Barbara; Lady Bird Johnson, second from left; former President Ford and his wife, Betty; and former President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn.  (Hyungwon Kang / AFP)

Lady Bird in 2002 in Texas. Until the end, she remained doggedly loyal to her husband’s memory. “Ours was a compelling love,” she told a biographer. “Lyndon pushed me, he drove me, at times he even humiliated me, but he made me become someone bigger and better than I would have been.”  (Harry Cabluck / AP)