Eisenhower's Space Race Revealed!!!

Ike 125 Series: History Professor to Discuss Eisenhower and the Space Race

The fourth program in the Ike 125 lecture series commemorating the 125th anniversary of the birth of Dwight David Eisenhower will be presented by Yanek Mieczkowski, history professor at Dowling College. The title of his program is "Understanding Ike: Four Key Eisenhower Traits and Their Role in the Space Race."

Yanek Mieczkowski -image from Gerald Ford Foundation Website

Mieczkowski will present the program both in Kansas City and Abilene. The Kansas City event opens with a reception at 6 p.m. and the program at 6:30 on Thursday, Sept. 17 at the Plaza Branch - Kansas City Public Library. In Abilene, Mieczkowski will speak on Friday, Sept. 18 at noon for a Brown Bag Lunch program, including light hors d'oeuvres, at the Eisenhower Presidential Library Visitors Center Auditorium. 

In a critical Cold War moment Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency suddenly changed when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world's first satellite. Mieczkowski, author of Eisenhower's Sputnik Moment, will examine the early history of America's space program, reassessing Eisenhower's leadership. He will explain how Ike approved breakthrough satellites, supported a new civilian space agency, signed a landmark science education law and fostered improved relations with scientists.

Copies of Eisenhower's Sputnik Moment, will be available in the Presidential Gift Shop, and a book signing will follow the program.

Ike 125 is made possible by the generous support of the W.T. Kemper Foundation - Commerce Bank, Trustee. The Ike 125 series examines the legacy of the greatest soldier-statesman of the 20th century - from his unquestionably brilliant wartime command to two terms as U.S. President that are viewed with increasing favor by historians and political scientists. It was a time of momentous change, bringing historic civil rights legislation, the Interstate Highway System, space exploration, and a prudent foreign policy that gave the country eight years of peace and prosperity. The series lends fresh analysis and new views of the plain-spoken Kansan who became a model of leadership.

The last programs in the six-month series will be held Oct. 13-14. Additional details of the Ike 125 series may be found on www.eisenhower.archives.gov or www.kclibrary.org/events/eisenhower125.

The Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, a nonpartisan federal institution, is part of the Presidential Libraries network operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire.

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