On Aug. 27, 1973, on what would have been President Lyndon B. Johnson’s 65th birthday, NASA held formal dedication ceremonies at the center newly renamed after the late President. The previous February, President Richard M. Nixon signed a Senate resolution designating the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) as NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC), in honor of the former president who had died the month before. Lady Bird Johnson, the late President’s widow, and several family members attended the ceremony held in the center’s auditorium, now the Teague Auditorium. Dignitaries in attendance included national and Texas political figures, current and former NASA administrators, center directors and astronauts. From low Earth orbit, the Skylab 3 astronauts contributed a message to the celebration.
Left: Lady Bird Johnson speaking during the dedication ceremony of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Right: Mrs. Johnson and family members pose with former NASA Administrator James E. Webb (fourth from right) during the ceremony.
Political dignitaries in attendance included Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe, Texas Senator John G. Tower, Utah Senator and chairman of the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences Frank E. Moss, and U.S. Representative from Texas and chairman of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics Olin E. Teague. Representatives from NASA included Administrator James C. Fletcher, former Administrator James E. Webb, Deputy Administrator George M. Low, JSC Director Christopher C. Kraft, former JSC Director Robert R. Gilruth, the first American in space astronaut Alan B. Shepard, and nurse to the astronauts Dolores B. “Dee” O’Hara. Administrator Fletcher read from a telegram sent by President Nixon on the occasion of the dedication ceremonies, in which he reiterated from the bill signing that “Few men in our time have better understood the value of space exploration than Lyndon Johnson.” In his opening remarks at the ceremony, JSC Director Kraft said that “the new name seems so appropriate…that is seems now that we’ve always been known as the Johnson Space Center.” Tributes and accolades recalled Johnson’s contributions to the nation’s space program. The Skylab 3 astronauts Alan L. Bean, Jack R. Lousma, and Owen K. Garriott, completing their first month aboard the Skylab space station, contributed their own statement for the celebration. Read by Administrator Fletcher, they said that the work they were accomplishing in space “would not have been possible except for [President Johnson’s] strong support and leadership in the Senate and in the presidency. …We are proud to be representing NASA and the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center as we circle the Earth.” In addition to reading President Nixon’s and the Skylab 3 crew’s statements, Administrator Fletcher said, “I hope we will always operate this center and the whole space program in such a way that Lyndon Johnson would say, ‘I’m mighty proud of what you’re doing here.”
As a United States Senator from Texas and Senate Majority Leader, Johnson drafted, introduced and helped enact the National Aeronautics and Space Act that created NASA in 1958. As Vice President, he chaired the National Aeronautics and Space Council during NASA’s critical early years and, working with Texas and Houston politicians and businessmen, played a key role in establishing the MSC in Texas. As President, Johnson continued to support President John F. Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth before the end of the decade. As part of his long-term commitment, Johnson visited the Center on several occasions, first as Vice President in 1962 and then as President in 1965 and 1968.
Left: Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) Christopher C. Kraft presents a plaque to Lady Bird Johnson – the plaque contained an American flag carried to the Moon by Apollo 11. Right: Dee O’Hara, nurse to the astronauts, presents a bouquet of flowers to Mrs. Johnson after she addressed a crowd of well-wishers outside the JSC auditorium building.
During the ceremony, Mrs. Johnson unveiled a bust of the late President by noted Virginia sculptress Jimilu Mason. In her remarks, the former First Lady said, “So many emotions crowd my mind on this occasion, pride, excitement, nostalgia, and with all of them so many memories …. Giving his name to this great center… is a birthday gift I know he would deeply appreciate.” Family members accompanying Mrs. Johnson included her two daughters Lynda and Luci, her sons-in-law Charles Robb and Patrick Nugent, and her grandson Lyn Nugent. Following the ceremony, JSC opened the “Johnson Room,” adjacent to the auditorium. The room displayed memorabilia from his presidency, such as a desk he used for signing bills, a chair from the Cabinet Room, photographs, and an original U.S. copy of the United Nations Outer Space Treaty signed in 1967.
Left: Documents and memorabilia line the walls of the conference room in the LBJ Room outside the Teague Auditorium at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston. Middle: A miniature replica of the bust of President Johnson on display in the LBJ Room. Right: The desk President Johnson used
The JSC Roundup devoted its Aug. 17, 1973, issue to the dedication.
