NAMES IN THE NEWS : Lady Bird Scales Down Activities

AUSTIN, Tex. —  Lady Bird Johnson says she is as dedicated as ever to the National Wildflower Research Center but plans to scale back some of her other activities.

The former First Lady has previously said she would do less work with the Texas Highway Department Beautification Awards, a project she has sponsored for 20 years.

At a tree-planting ceremony Monday, Johnson, 77, said she also intends to cut back on activities such as public speaking.

“I am scaling down, but not on the Wildflower Research Center,” she said. “But I will try to be a good citizen in the field of environment, with emphasis on plant, wildflower and tree beautification.”