by PAT MURDOCK

The Lyndon Baines Johnson Museum of San Marcos will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a public reception, tree-lighting and holiday serenade at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6.

President Lyndon Johnson, Lady Bird Johnson and their pup Yuki posed beside the family Christmas tree, a Norway spruce, in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House in 1967. WHITE HOUSE ARCHIVE PHOTO

The public is invited to join local government officials and members of the non-profit’s Board of Directors for the tree lighting and a reception from 6 to 7 p.m. A group of youngsters from the San Marcos CISD’s Pre-Kindergarten program at Hernandez Elementary School will sing a few Christmas carols. Cookies and punch will be served. Santa has promised to stop by the event. Some of the students’ artwork will be exhibited at the museum.

Also on display are the Veterans Day posters prepared by students at Crockett and Mendez Elementary Schools. Since the museum was closed for a few days for the elevator installation and Thanksgiving holidays, the museum staff decided to keep the Veterans Day posters up for a while longer.

After more than nine years of facility renovation, preparation and fundraising, the museum opened its doors on Dec. 6, 2006.

For the museum’s board of directors, this year’s anniversary brings something special to celebrate – the near completion of the renovation of the county-owned building that houses the museum. An elevator has been installed that will take visitors to the expansive second floor where they will find a large auditorium that will accommodate lectures and special presentations, a nice sized meeting room and open space that will house additional exhibits.

Although the elevator has been installed, it awaits a final inspection before it can be put into operation. That may – or may not – happen by next Tuesday.

The pre-kindergarten students were invited to participate at the anniversary reception because of the role that President Lyndon Johnson played in launching such early educational programs as Head Start.

“We appreciate so much the opportunity to interact with students from our local schools,” says Pat Murdock, president of the board of directors. “President Johnson’s focus on the importance of education makes this a natural connection – one we are very interested in expanding.”

The LBJ Museum of San Marcos fills a special niche in the Johnson legacy by celebrating not only the President’s days in San Marcos while attending what is now Texas State University-San Marcos but also his days as a public school teacher in Cotulla. It has a unique perspective to share with the public about the man known as “The Education President.”

Except for a handful of holidays, the museum is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Special tours can be arranged on other days by contacting the museum’s manager Bill Cunningham. There is no charge for admission, but contributions are gratefully accepted.

For more information call 512-353-1943 or 353-3300.