The Lessons That Taught Him How to Teach

At the age of 83 Robert Cairo, the writer of four volumes contributed to understanding Lyndon Johnson, wrote these recollections just in case he doesn’t make it. Cairo’s aspirations to go deep into someones live and even take the time to understand their culture is what lead him to be one of the greatest investigative reporters.

In the early 1900’s, Cairo was taught a valuable lesson that transcended space and time. Mr. Hathaway, being the person in a management position over Cairo – began his dislike for him due to the fact he was simply a college graduate. So, Cairo was one who began his work already with the disapproval of his boss, but without him wouldn’t have been able to become as great as he was, with his advice being to turn every page.

“There are certain moments in your life when you suddenly understand something about yourself,” Cairo said. From unveiling the fact that corporations such as the F.A.A. was persuading the government agency to help them cut down their commute at the expense of the poorer community getting an education for the betterment of their own lives to realizing monetary power leads political influence and everything in between.

Cairo spared no expense to uncover the things that he held dear to him. When it came to Lyndon Johnson in particular, as the one writing the story, Cairo was willing to do whatever he found necessary to make sure the information was politically and culturally correct in every meaning of the context.

“I’m not understanding these people and therefore I’m not. Understanding Lyndon Johnson,” Cairo said, He found himself actually living his day to day life in the Hill Country, being the city the Johnson was born and raised in, not only to get the respect of the people that he was interviewing about Johnson but to also understand the cultural perspective of the town the bred such a man as himself.

When Cairo was first introduced to Sam Houston, Lyndon’s younger brother he found him to be unreliable and over exaggerating on any story when it came to his brother. Not to add insult to injury but Houston was also a drunk. As a man with respect for himself and the people he chooses to write about Cairo was always one to thoroughly fact check, deeming Houston to be one that was unreliable when it came to revealing the actual contents of Johnson child history, “it seemed that every detail in his anecdotes that would be checked turned out to be either exaggerated or entirely false... I had decided to simply not use anything he told me. I didn't see Sam Houston for perhaps a year,” Cairo said.

Houston was stricken with cancer and found himself to be one of a sober mind, giving Cairo the sense that he was more reliable and with the sobriety of Houston came the truth about Johnson's childhood. Change of character is not something that comes quickly in anyone’s life so the mere fact that Cairo was willing to be patient for so long just to get the truth is a type of investigative research a lot of people will never get the chance to be exposed too.

“I’m constantly being asked why it takes so long to finish my books,” Cairo said. Realizing the reason behind the quote is that he really puts his mind, body and soul into his research and spares no expense. Being that he’s is 83 with so much more to write leads other journalist to patronize him by telling him to do that math. “Well I can do the math,” Cairo said, “I decided that just in case, I’d put some of them down on paper now.” He may not finish his completed memoir during his time on this earth but he has done more than his part when it comes to equipping those who share the same passion as he does with the ability and knowledge to complete any of his unfinished work.