Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library Abilene, Kansas

This morning we visited President Eisenhower's Presidential Library. We came through Kansas so we could stop here and I'm glad we stopped. The museum is almost through with a major renovation, but the temporary exhibits were great and the tour of Eisenhower's boyhood home, which is on the property, was excellent as it illustrated his humble beginnings and the positive influence of his parents, brothers, and the Abilene community. During World War II, Eisenhower was the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and a five star general. He was also the thirty-fourth president of the United States. Elisenhower's road to the presidency was facinating. After high school, Ike was hoping for an appointment to the Naval Academy but instead he ended up at West Point. A good student and athlete he demonstrated his desire to lead. After graduation he married his wife Maime Dodd. As World War I broke out Eisenhower wanted to go to war but instead he stayed in the US and trained tank crews. He and George Patton actually met during this training and developed a life long friendship. During World War II, Eisenhower's ability to organize and bring people together resulted in the success of the D-Day invasion and ultimately the end of the war in Europe. After the war, Eisenhower served as the President of Columbia University before he was called back to military service by George Marshall to become the Supreme Commander of NATO. As the 1952 presidential race came about Eisenhower was approached by both the republicans and the democrats, eventually he ran and won for the republicans. During Eisenhower's two terms he had to deal with issues related to the Korean War, the start of the space race, the implementation of Brown v. Board of Education, and the McCarthy anticommunist hearings. Through it all Eisenhower used the West Point motto of, "Duty, Honor, Country" to guide his decisions. Highlights of his administration include the establishment of the interstate highway system, the establishment of NASA, the expansion of social security, and he signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957. He expressed his concern about the massive amount of spending related to military readiness at the expense of domestic programs. "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."

I admire Eisenhower's dedication to the country, the soldiers under his command, his love of family, and his leadership style. On his desk in the Oval Office he kept a plate in Latin that translated to, "Gently in  manner, strongly in deed." President Eisenhower lived a life that demonstrated this. May we all learn from his leadership.