She made news and politics a joyful world

Here’s a handy tip for fans of documentaries:
Whenever possible, watch profiles of Texas women. Those films – like their subjects – offer rare blends of strength and joy.
There have been terrific ones about Ann Richards (the former governor) and Mollie Ivins (the former newspaper writer and “60 Minutes” commentator). And now we have, “Shaking It Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter.”
That’s available on PBS’ World Channel (9 p.m. ET March 7, 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. March 8), on PBS apps and on some stations during the current pledge drive. It’s worth finding.
Carpenter (shown here) was someone who could be dead-serious when needed. She:
— Jotted “the most important 58 words I’ve ever written.” They were the first ones Lyndon Johnson said to the nation, post-assassination.
— Orchestrated Johnson’s wife’s ambitious campaign to visit the country’s natural wonders. “It elevated environmentalism into a national issue,” historian Douglas Brinkley says in the film.
— And became a prominent and outspoken feminist.
But she did it all with a sense of joy. That was back in the days, her daughter Christy points out, “when politics was not a blood sport.”
Christy Carpenter directed the film with Abby Ginsberg, which might sound like a conflict of interest. But the film is quick to point out the quirks of someone who tried to do too much, too fast.
At times, parental chores suffered. One day, Carpenter’s job was to retrieve the dog from the veterinarian. Her daughter had to point out the flaw: “She had brought home the wrong dog.”
Carpenter was born in 1920 (the year women got the vote) and spent her early years in Salado, an East Texas town that now has 2,100 people and lots of tradition. She lived in a 24-room antebellum mansion where her great-grandmother started Texas’ first literary society … near the remains of a college that her great-grandfather started. (It peaked at 307 students, before closing in 1885.)
She moved with her family to Austin at 7, but kept a frontier persona. Her advice to staffers: Return all y our calls before it’s time to do the milking.
After graduating from Texas University, she became the Washington correspondent for the Austin newspaper. It was a job that included attending Eleanor Roosevelt’s press conferences (open only to female reporters) and stopping daily at the office of Austin’s congressman, Lyndon Johnson.
Liz married Les Carpenter and they created a two-person news bureau, reporting for several papers. Then she worked for Johnson’s vice-presidency, even assigned to add humor to his speeches. During his presidency, she doubled as Lady Bird Johnson’s press secretary and her staff director.
That included trips to redwood forests, national parks and beyond. “Environmentalists suddenly had a voice in the White House,” Brinkley said.
So did feminists. Carpenter pushed for the Equal Rights Amendment.
Throughout the struggles, she retained her joy. She was an author and speaker, using humor for both. She moved back to Austin and, up until her death at 89, was an enthusiastic party-giver.
As her daughter put it, she “didn’t do anything quietly. (She) did her part to keep Austin weird.”