LBJ MUSEUM
Beto O’Rourke will be the guest speaker at the 2025 LBJ Museum Benefit Gala scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 25. O’Rourke’s presentation will focus on voting rights — a key initiative of LBJ’s Great Society.
The gala will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the LBJ Student Center at Texas State University. This is the primary fundraiser for the Museum. Besides a wonderful evening with an interesting presentation, good food, visiting with friends and new acquaintances, there will be a silent auction with some amazing offerings all benefiting the museum.
Beto O’Rourke is a fourth-generation Texan from a local political family. After his college graduation, he returned to El Paso and began a business career. In 2005, O’Rourke was elected to the El Paso City Council, serving until 2011; he served as mayor pro tempore during his first year in office. O’Rourke was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 after defeating eight-term incumbent Democrat Silvestre Reyes in the primary. After being re-elected to the House in 2014 and 2016, O’Rourke declined to seek another term in 2018. In 2018, he sought the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Ted Cruz, running a competitive campaign that drew national attention. Despite losing the election by a margin of 2.6%, O’Rourke set a record for most votes ever cast for a Democrat in an election in Texas. On March 14, 2019, O’Rourke announced his candidacy in the 2020 United States presidential election. He suspended his campaign on November 1, 2019, due to a lack of traction and financial issues. He later endorsed Joe Biden. On March 1, 2022, O’Rourke won the Democratic nomination for the Texas gubernatorial election. He was defeated by Republican incumbent Greg Abbott in the election. At the end of 2019, he launched Powered by People, registering and turning out Texas voters focusing on building the long-term changes to the Texas electorate that will outlast any one candidate or campaign cycle.
Tickets are still available for those interested in supporting the museum while enjoying a great evening. Individual tickets are $100, and table sponsorship for eight is $700. Visit our website at lbjmuseum.com/ events/2025 for additional sponsorships and benefits or to purchase tickets. We are pleased to announce that H-E-B is once again a sponsor for this event. Other returning sponsors are Ozona Bank, Texas State University and the Debate Society at Texas State University. This year we are proud to have La Cima and the Lions Club of San Marcos joining us as sponsors. To date, silent auction donations from generous area businesses include: Barefoot Campus Outfitter, Cardinal Framing, Douglas & Smith Artisan Soap Company, Elly Del Prado Dietz and Col. Michael Dietz (Ret), The Meadows Center for Water and Environment, Kissing Tree, Michael “Zark” Markowicz, Mattress Warehouse, Melrose River Club, North Carolina Furniture Direct, Pennington Cakes, Ray Jacobson, Senator Judith Zaffirini, Skydive Spaceland, Spec’s Wines, Stinky Dawg, Twin Liquor, Two P’s & Calli’s Boutique & Gifts, Wash Tub and Wineaux. Businesses from surrounding areas have also been generous and include: Hill Country Collectables, Wimberley Players and Ceremony Botanical Studio from Wimberly. From Austin, we have items from the Bullock History Museum, Capitol Cruise and the LBJ Presidential Library, and there are items from the Proof Liquor & Deli in Buda. In addition, we have auction items from Texas-based James Avery Artisan Jewelry and world-renowned Ken Burns, Florentine Films.
For the “Dining Adventure” portion of the silent auction we have the following donations from generous restaurants in the area including: Blue Dahlia Bistro, Cafe on the Square, Casa Maria Restaurant, Cheddars Scratch Kitchen, Chuy’s Tex-Mex, Cody’s, Grins Restaurant, Hermanos Taqueria & Bakery, Industry, Ivar’s River Pub, Jorge’s Mexican Restaurant, Kerbey Lane, Kreuz Market (Lockhart), Leaning Pear (Wimberley), Palmer’s, Root Cellar, Rudy’s Country Store and BBQ, Landry’s-Saltgrass Steakhouse, Schulze’s Pit Room (Seguin), Tarbox & Brown, Texas Roadhouse, Texican Cafe (Kyle), The Original Black’s Barbecue, Valentino’s Pizza and Z’Tejas (Kyle).
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Museum located on the Courthouse Square is entering its 19th year. The museum commemorates the formative role LBJ’s years as a college student and school teacher played in the landmark Great Society legislation he passed as the 36th president of the United States between November 1963 to January 1969. The museum is free to the public and is open Thursday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
