Starts:

Thursday March 26, 2026

    11:30 AM

Ends:

    2:00 PM

In 1964, political spouses were “to be seen and not heard,” but Lady Bird Johnson defied expectations. In October of that year, she boarded a specially outfitted 19-car campaign train—the Lady Bird Special—traversing eight Southern states to support Lyndon B. Johnson’s re-election bid amid heightened tensions following passage of the Civil Rights Act. Acclaimed historian Shannon McKenna Schmidt recounts this daring 1,682-mile journey and the women who made it possible in her new book, “You Can’t Catch Us: Lady Bird Johnson’s Trailblazing 1964 Campaign Train and the Women Who Rode With Her.”

Join us at the Woman’s National Democratic Club as Schmidt highlights the courageous leadership of not only Lady Bird but also Lindy Boggs, Liz Carpenter, Janet Travell, and Helen Thomas—whose stories reveal the strategy and civility that shaped a pivotal moment in American history.

EVENT DETAILS:

• Remarks and Q&A, in-person and via Zoom.
• 11:30 a.m. cash bar opens, 12:15 p.m. lunch (optional), 1–2 p.m. program. Followed by book signing.
• $10 lecture or Zoom only, $30 members and $40 guests for lunch (plus tax).

In addition to writing “You Can't Catch Us,” Schmidt is the author of “The First Lady of World War II: Eleanor Roosevelt's Daring Journey to the Frontlines and Back.” She is also the co-author of “Novel Destinations: A Travel Guide to Literary Landmarks from Jane Austen’s Bath to Ernest Hemingway’s Key West” and “Writers Between the Covers: The Scandalous Romantic Lives of Legendary Literary Casanovas, Coquettes, and Cads.” In addition, Schmidt has written for National Geographic Traveler, Shelf Awareness, and Arrive magazine, including a cover story featuring President Bill Clinton. She has been a guest on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Studio 2/WHYY, and the Travel Show with Pauline Frommer, and has spoken at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, the National World War II Museum, and many other venues. 

For non-member event reservations: please email pfitzgerald@democraticwoman.org or telephone 202-232-7363 Ext. 402 (voicemails will also be accepted).

*Please note: Guests, with the exception of members’ spouses and domestic partners, may attend a maximum of three paid events from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. After the third event, they must join the Club to continue attending events.* 

Please note: By attending a WNDC event, participants agree to being recorded and/or photographed, and the resulting assets may be used for promotional purposes. Should you wish not to be recorded or photographed, please notify a member of the WNDC staff on site.