Welcome to the First Christian Church and Johnson City Historical Review Board's 25th Anniversary Memorial for Lyndon Johnson, distinguished citizen of Johnson City and 36th President of the United States. We are here at the First Christian Church of Johnson City to remember, 25 years after his death, the life of a most remarkable man, Johnson City resident, world leader, and member of your congregation, Lyndon B. Johnson. Lyndon grew up here playing, working, and going to school and, during his young life, was a well known fixture about town. Many of the buildings and places we know today were well known -- and used -- by Lyndon, and have changed little since he lived here. With a little effort, one can easily envision young Lyndon working or playing downtown not far from his boyhood home. During his long life and polictical career, many of you here may have known, worked with or for, seen him in church, saw Lyndon carried to the heights of great political power.

So influencial and important Lyndon became that one historian recently claimed that one could not understand the 20th century without first understanding the life of Lyndon Johnson. I would add that one must know Johnson City also, for all Lyndon's influence, and power, reflected the values and attitudes present in the people of this town. Late in Lyndon's political life, he became known as a concerned and compassionate protector of the poor, and disadvantaged, of all races. That view of life was always a part of Lyndon's life view and political belief and germinated early in his life here in Johnson City. He cared deeply what happened to the people and places of his heart and country. Know it or not, Lyndon Johnson fundamentally affected all our lives.

Once gone to Washington, Lyndon did something extrodinary that few of his contemporaries ever did. He looked back at his community and strove to do all in his power to improve and sustain this place, a place about which long-time editor of the Johnson City paper, Stella Gliddon said "when I came to Johson City, I thought I had come to the end of the earth" (later she would change her mind). And he succeeded beyond the dreams of his friends and family. In the case of Johnson City, he provided us with numerous benefits that enrich us today. There would always be a special relationship between Johnson City and Lyndon Johnson.

Lyndon's chief legacy to us was his compassion and his caring for his home community. He took the best values we had to offer and carried them to the national stage where they still resonate, yet he had the vision to nurture and husband his own community. Thanks to the presence and efforts of Lyndon Johnson, we can be justifiably proud of our town and realize now he has given us an opportunity to be a presidential community of importance in our own right. No greater gift could have been given.