RETRO REPORT: Presidential prowess against poverty in Athens

Editor’s Note: This article was edited to correct a misunderstanding on Lynda Bird Johnson’s relationship to Ohio University.

It’s May 7, 1964, and President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) aboard Air Force One just touched down at Ohio University’s Gordon K. Bush airport. Greeted by hundreds of Ohio U and Athens community members, LBJ makes his way to a nearby helicopter.

LBJ’s helicopter lands at Peden Stadium where he is escorted to a convertible alongside his daughter, Lynda Bird Johnson. The parade makes its way around campus and then ends on College Green. 

Prior to the president's speech, Lynda Bird Johnson, Ohio Governor James Rhodes, Ohio U Board of Trustees chair John Galbreath and Ohio U President Vernon Alden all speak to a crowd of students standing shoulder to shoulder. 

After the brief remarks from the aforementioned, LBJ takes his place in front of the podium set up at the West Portico of the Memorial Auditorium at noon. LBJ gives the following speech, his fourth of ten that he delivers on May 7th. The president found himself in Athens because of his war on poverty that he announced in January. 

However, Johnson said this during his speech, “Since this began as a poverty inspection tour, I want to clarify our presence here. The faculty opinion notwithstanding, I do not believe that Ohio University has any poor students. As the father of a college daughter dressed in green and white today, if I wanted to inspect pockets of poverty, I would go and inspect the parents instead of coming here.”

LBJ made a stop in Athens not as part of his poverty inspection tour but rather to publicly thank Alden. 

“I have looked forward to this opportunity to thank publicly Governor Rhodes, Mr. Galbreath and the Board of Trustees for lending to us, to plan and formulate the Job Corps, your able and impressive president, Dr. Vernon Alden,” LBJ said. “Under Dr. Alden's leadership, Ohio University is setting a national standard leadership in attacking the problems of area economic development, and I am proud to announce today that a contract has been signed by the Area Redevelopment Administration to establish a regional development institution here. This will make Ohio University the focal point of economic development for the southeastern Ohio area.”

The president is referencing the now-standing, Lancaster branch campus of Ohio U which was created to continue to improve the, at the time, economic struggles of different areas around Ohio. 

Concluding his speech on College Green, President Johnson speaks strongly about the importance of the young people of America continuing to bring the country to fruition. 

“This is a young land and it is a land of young people,” LBJ stated. “There are 2 1/2 times more Americans under the age of 25 than our total population 100 years ago. By the end of the next decade, in 1980, one-half of our people will be younger than 25. So to you of this student body, I say merely as a statement of fact, America is yours, yours to make a better land, yours to build the great society.”

To read more of President Lyndon B. Johson’s speech in greater detail click here.