On January 7, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson received a special visitor in the Oval Office—Daniel C. Garcia, Sr., one of Johnson's former students from Cotulla, Texas. Garcia was invited to visit the White House after appearing on the television quiz show "I've Got a Secret," on which he revealed that, as a student, he had been spanked by his former teacher and the current President of the United States.

LBJ began his professional life with educational aspirations. In 1928, after his freshman year at Southwest Texas State Teachers College at San Marcos (now Texas State University), LBJ put his degree on hold to work as a teacher and principal at the primarily Mexican-American Welhausen School in Cotulla, a small ranching and farming community in southwest Texas . His experiences there influenced many of the Great Society programs designed to combat poverty and education inequality.

On November 7, 1966, President and Lady Bird Johnson took a trip to Cotulla. According to the Daily Diary, "many people, in fact the whole population of Cotulla" came out to greet President Johnson. After visiting with students and citizens, LBJ gave a speech in the school auditorium. He recalled his impactful time in Cotulla and the lessons he learned about the fundamental importance and necessity for equal educational opportunities for all children. In his speech, LBJ also looked to the future and said, "to all the Nation...we have not yet done enough. The time for action is now."