‘Dinner With LBJ and the 1960s’ a Timely Message for Democracy Benefitting the O’Connor Institute

On November 1, 2025, The Phoenician hosted guests in support of Sandra Day O’Connor Institute held its Annual History Dinner, themed “LBJ and the 1960s,” which featured renowned author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin delivering a timely message on democracy.

Co-Chairs: Robyn & Michael DeBell and Cindy & Michael Watts

Honorary Chairs: Ellen & Howard Katz and Margot & Dennis Knight

Evening Benefactor: The Burton Family Foundation and Bud & Sue Selig

Speakers: Distinguished Dinner Speaker: Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize Winner
Moderator: Mark Updegrove – President & CEO, LBJ Foundation

Notable Moments: The evening was steeped in history. Historical portraits of President Lyndon B. Johnson lined the ballroom, while tables adorned with Texas bluebonnets and yellow roses paid homage to his Texan roots. The menu also reflected the theme, featuring a Texas wedge salad and a brown sugar-rubbed filet with heirloom carrots and cheddar grits. Dessert, a Lady Bird lemon butter cake, was a fitting tribute to the former First Lady’s grace and substance. Doris Kearns Goodwin shared personal anecdotes from her time working with LBJ, both in his office and later collaborating on his memoirs. She also recalled meeting her late husband, Richard Goodwin, who served as a speechwriter for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Kearns Goodwin detailed LBJ’s complex legacy: one of optimism and monumental progress, marked by the Civil Rights Act and the Great Society, yet also shadowed by criticism over the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam Conflict. She concluded with a message of hope, noting that despite the current challenging political climate, she has seen the U.S. face — and overcome — difficult times before, and that “we shall do so again.”