Any FReepers alive during Dwight’s reign who can speak to the man as a person? I’ve not read much disparaging stuff about him, but he seems to be one of the lesser lauded presidents of the 20th century.
Only 56 short years ago! It is truly hard to believe how far the nation has fallen since then.
Ike led our country during 8 difficult years
I reach adulthood during Ike”s administration. The one memory that stands out is that of competence. Even through several scandals, Ike’s Administration was competent and self correcting. He did the people’s work without injecting his ego. He was not a populist and was honest.
Just an aside. While Mamie and the children lived in a dust hole in Kansas, she discovered a rattler in her “yard”. She shot the snake with a .45. Like her husband, she was just doing what had to be done.
I’ve been to the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, KS a couple of times. The two things I recall were 1) that he did very poorly academically at West Point because all he cared about was football. His leadership skills grew after college, through his Army assignments and training programs he attended.
2) The little chapel where he and Mamie are buried is completely empty of reference to any faith. There are stained glass windows, but in their extreme effort to avoid favoring one religion over another, they ended up with a space that has a distinctly non-sacred feel. Makes me think Eisenhower was kind of a Deist— a believer in God’s Providence, but not too specific after that.
Personally, my favorite thing about Eisenhower is the Interstate Highway system. I think it’s important infrastructure that helps keep people free to travel whether they are rich or poor. Also, did he do the GI Bill, or was that Truman?