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Archive for the ‘History Was Never My Favorite Subject’ Category

What Kind of Gift Do You Give the President?

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010
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Especially when the President is “Granddad” – A Holiday Remembrance by Mary Jean Eisenhower:

One Christmas season, my Mom held court with the “kids” in the east family living area of the White House.  ”Kids” was the name Granddad referred to us by, but one that Mimi didn’t like as she took the word “kid” literally as a baby goat.

In conducting this meeting, Mom noted that the President and First Lady of the United States had anything they could possibly need or want for Christmas, and informed us that we were going to put on a pageant for them.  Julia, my favorite of the upstairs maids after Delores, was beside her and prepared to do what was necessary to assist in the production of this pageant.  My thoughts immediately drifted as I thought I didn’t care who the President and First Lady were, she was talking about Mimi and Granddad, something that took me a minute to reconcile and grasp that they were indeed one and the same.  The rest of my siblings seemed to understand, which was normal when it came to getting a grip on what we were living.

The Eisenhower Family at Christmas in the White House. Mary Jean Eisenhower is in front, holding her grandmother Mamie Eisenhower's hand.

The east living area in the family quarters bore a colonial American light red and white pattern.  The grand Georgian window there also had a recess that served nicely as a counter stage to its mate on the west side of the living area as mom choreographed what we would be doing on our home stage.

Mom was a detail person when it came to such productions; this particular show was no exception.  She took starched, crisp white percale sheets, customized their size, cut holes in the middle of them, and lined the holes with silver garland to serve as a neckline.  The rest of the sheet flowed loosely to our bodies.  Then she crafted angel wings out of white cardboard and silver sparkles, and halos out of rounded metal coat hangers and more garland.  This wasn’t enough for our presentation – she then took strands of twinkle lights and wrapped them around the four halos already clad in garland.

We had a couple of “fittings” before dress rehearsal, which were annoying because she made us stand still so that the hemlines would be straight. When the costumes were on the players (my brother, two sisters and me,) she ran the wire from our halos down our sleeves and out. The wires were then hooked up to “D” size batteries, which were covered by wax paper and had a cardboard flame on the top: candle disguises. She rigged a button on the bottom of the “candles” which made the twinklers light. We were to press the buttons to make the halos twinkle during the songs we sang.

After a dress rehearsal and a couple of weeks of practice on the pageant, it was show time. Mom lined us up by size: David first, Anne, Susan and then me, the usual order. We commenced on the west side of the second floor. The hallway lights were turned completely out. Mom stood at the side of our procession directing us. We started our way from the west side and made our way down the oversized corridor to the east side.

The Eisenhower family poses in front of the Christmas tree at the White House. Mary Jean Eisenhower is in front, third from left.

The first song we sang was “Silent Night” followed by other traditional carols. We appeared as four little angles as we made our way down the corridor, singing, twinkling, pacing slowly past the Lincoln bedroom on our right, the Queen’s room on our left, past the social sitting groups of sofas and coffee tables adorned with crystal fodder which shot beautiful colors in the off light while reflecting our twinkles, past granddad’s nap room, on the left, past the elevator and Granddad’s artist studio on the right and in to the east area where Daddy, Mimi and Granddad sat anticipating our entrance. I was utterly mesmerized; this really was Christmas with all the glow of the nighttime books and fairytales that had been read to me. I am sure that was one of, if not the sole time the four of us bore the title “Angel” at the same time.

When it was over, Granddad and Mimi jumped from their chairs, the lights went on just before they gave us huge hugs with bursting smiles, one at a time, looking us straight in the eyes, making each of us feel special, as they told us it was the best pageant they had seen – ever. It felt glorious. Sugar plums danced that evening amongst the crisp starched sheets while the smell of Christmas and Santa prepped me for the next morning, which would continue the magic of the eve we had just lived – together.

The Birthday When Ike Heard “Thank You”

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
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Dwight D. Eisenhower was born on this day in 1890.  Of course we all know that President Eisenhower founded this great organization, but today we’ll focus on a few facts that are perhaps less well known.  Our President and CEO, Mary Jean Eisenhower, wrote the following about what turned out to be her grandfather’s last birthday.

October 14, 1968

Former President and General Dwight D. Eisenhower lay sunken in his hospital bed, on a sunny autumn afternoon at Walter Reed Army Medical center.  He was still recovering from his seventh massive heart attack, it was his 78th birthday.   The man, who led the Allied Forces during WWII, was now unable to get out of bed without help.  He was antsy and he was tired.  The family and a few very close friends were there, it was his birthday.  Cards, flowers and well wishes adorned the room he had occupied for so many months.  Just down the hall from him on Ward 8 was Senator Strom Thurmond, eventually the longest serving US Senator in history (until passed by Byrd), he was 11 years my grandfather’s junior.

There were many other heroes on Ward 8, in fact, oddly enough I was born in the same room I was visiting my grandfather in, and he would eventually die there.

To understand the rest of the story, you have to understand a little more about my grandfather, the soldier.  The night before deployment (D-Day), he spent the entire night walking around with the troops.  Why?  Because he felt responsible for all of them, and looked at them as his own family.  He made small talk; he talked to them about their own lives and families.  I will never understand the deep impact WWII had on him, only how he tried to convey it.  When asked why he spent the night with the troops he said, “I knew I was sending over half of them to their deaths, I felt they deserved to know the man who was doing this.”  And after, a note thrown away was recovered. Written in his hand, on a small piece of paper, was apparently what he had planned to say should there have been failure.  Paraphrased, he took full responsibility in the event of failure.  In the end though, he gave full credit to the troops.

Fast forward to this day in 1968, which would end up being his last birthday.  As I mentioned earlier, he was a very positive person, and was politely joking and trying to look like he was enjoying the “camp out” celebration.  The room got quiet for an extended period.  My grandmother, Mamie, sat on the edge of his bed, holding his hand; he was staring up at the ceiling.  He looked ashen and parched.

After a while there was the faint sound of a military band.  They were playing “Edelweiss”, his favorite song.  The music got progressively louder and Mamie jumped off of the bed and looked out of the window.  His face got colored and flushed and his huge grin lit up like a firework, and he asked her, “Is it them?”  She swiftly turned around and got the doctor.  They quickly disconnected Granddad from his machines and hoisted him on to a wheel chair, driving him rapidly to the window.  Mamie grabbed his “General’s” Flag and put it in his hand.  He leaned out of the window and waved it while the Marine Band played “Happy Birthday” to him under the room.

President Eisenhower with his wife Mamie on October 14, 1968

When they finished, they saluted him and crisply marched away.  The doctor and my grandmother pulled him back to his bed.  While being re-hooked to his machines, he looked at my grandmother as he never did another and said, “Well, Mamie, maybe I have lived long enough.”  I believe translated, he finally heard, from the men and women he treasured all of his life,  “Thank you for your service.”

As it was, he passed away in March of 1969.  When we were grieving, I often hung on to the memory of his last birthday and remember that fire cracking grin when he heard the music.

54 Years of Peace through Understanding

Friday, September 10th, 2010
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September 11 is a date that might bring to mind a number of recollections, whether they are world events or personal milestones.  For PTPI, September 11 is a day of celebration.

People to People International was founded on September 11, 1956 by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.  In his book Waging Peace, Eisenhower wrote the following:

I had long advocated – and still advocate today – this kind of direct people-to-people exchange as one fine, progressive step toward peace in the world.  In September of 1956 I initiated a broad-scale People-to-People program – an effort to stimulate private citizens in many fields (the arts, education, athletics, law, medicine, business) to organize themselves to reach across the seas and national boundaries to their counterparts in other lands.

If we are going to take advantage of the assumption that all people want peace, then the problem is for people to get together and leap governments – if necessary to evade governments – to work out not one method but thousands of methods by which people can gradually learn a little bit more of each other.

-Waging Peace. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Doubleday, 1965. Pages 410-411.

As members of PTPI, we serve as ambassadors of our belief in people bringing about peace by working for understanding.   We inspire others around us to do the same.

PTPI Founder Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his granddaughter Mary Jean Eisenhower (current President and CEO of PTPI) a copy of Waging Peace as a Christmas gift. The inscription reads: "For: Mary Jean, with a Merry Christmas. Affectionately, Granddad."

Mandate for Change and Waging Peace are two volumes that comprise President Eisenhower's memoirs of his time as President of the United States. The inscription on this volume reads "To Mary Jean - with the abiding affection of her grandfather, Dwight Eisenhower, 1963."