with tablecloths on the tables ... she served cookies and punch and taught the children manners—how to place your napkin in your lap and which utensil to use." Laura Bush participated in the inventiveness of the school at a time of great imagination, but her tenure was brief. Laura Bush, nee Welch, gave her two-week notice to Dawson shortly after George H.W. Bush proposed marriage. Nonetheless, her time as a public-school librarian permanently shaped her views on education and books. Reflecting back, she stated, "I think teaching in minority schools opened my eyes. It made me realize how unfair in a lot of ways life is." She has stated that these experiences shaped her contributions to her husband's "sweeping education reforms," including creating "reading readiness programs for preschoolers" and expanding the federal Head Start program. Her work as a librarian also played a significant role in her creation of the Texas Book Festival. In the late 1970s, Dawson continued to turn to literature to inspire student learning. In 1977, Dawson participated in a federally-funded four-week summer program to serve educationally disadvantaged students. The summer program, led by summer principal Dr. James Nabhan, centered the program "around children's literature, especially the tale of Alice in Wonderland.... Students wrote and illustrated books, put on plays in theaters they build and saw special presentations of "Alice in Wonderland" as plays and a puppet show." Other programs illustrate how Dawson used children's literature to teach in diverse subjects, including to develop its 1978 choir program. In 1979, the faculty drew on the popularity of Star Wars and Star Trek to initiate a science fiction literature unit, with every grade participating in a wide variety of projects: "Reading, art and even music are being taught through the science fiction model." Music In the 1970s and early 1980s, music teacher Mary Beth Gartner spearheaded the school's lively music program, preceding Austin's reputation as the "live music capital of the world." Most notably, in 1975, Gartner applied for a grant to create "The Magic Time Machine" program to teach U.S. history "backwards from the present time to 1776 in their studies of art, music, library skills and physical education." Teachers introduced students to the past through multiple field trips, historical reenactments, crafts, props, and costumes. The program culminated in a day-long Bicentennial celebration, entitled, "You've Come a Long Way, U.S.A.," and held on May 21, 1976. Highlights