I Like Ike

We earned our Kansas sticker and had a good time doing it .

We have to spend the night in a state and do something.

This is our 2nd time to stay in Kansas (in transit), but there just isn't a lot in Kansas.

I wanted to get a bike ride in (to Frontier Historical Park in Hays), but we got in a little late. I looked through the roadside attraction guide but failed. Then My Lovely spies the Eisenhower Presidential Museum.

Homerun!!!

We spent 3 hours there, and we will have to get the other half on our way back from the west coast. We simply ran out of time.

Humble beginnings through preparing for peace, "Gently in manner, strong in deed," was Eisenhower.

The museum walks us through his life, all the steps through his preparation.

Ike applied for the Naval Academy because the appointment would be a free education. He was accepted at West Point.

The exhibits follow his career, of course, but the base message was that Ike was uniquely qualified because of his assignments after West Point. Part of his success can be contributed to his even demeanor. He was well liked by the officers above him, and therefore benefited from tutlige and relevant assignments. Part because he was not ego minded. And he believed in hard work.

Timeline Exhibit
One of the best exhibits was a timeline exhibit. It was a world map with a scrolling dateline at the bottom. As the timeline progressed, descriptive headlines appear to describe what happened and where, at that particular time. The map also highlighted all the countries (by color) as either neutral, under Allied Control, or under Axis control. It was very informative and compelling (but moved too fast to take it all in).

The museum is a 22-acre complex with a library, a museum, a place of reflection (his and Mamie's graves in a church like building), and his childhood home.

We did not get to see it all. We got through WWII and just started his presidential years when we had to leave. We will return to finish the museum and see the house.

What took us so long? We read almost every placard of information. The information was compelling. Seeing his career build and unfold got me. It was no accident that he became the Supreme Allied Commander. His career, his leadership, his deportment, and his character led him to a place where world leaders put him in the position to lead.

I can't wait to see the rest of the museum. Ike was courted by both the Democrats and the Repbulicans. He entered the presidential race 2 months before the convention. Robert Taft entered the convention with enough votes to carry the nomination, but delegates switched over to Ike.Read more