The Living History at Your Library series presents General of the Army: Dwight D. Eisenhower at 6 p.m. June 5.
General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), portrayed by Kenneth Hammontree, offers personal recollections and insight into the planning of Operation Overlord, also known as D-Day, the Allies' audacious campaign which began the invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II.
Eisenhower was born October 1890 in Denison, Texas, and raised in Kansas. He graduated from West Point in 1915. Although he desired to serve in Europe during World War I, he instead commanded a training unit for tank crews. In 1941, after serving under many notable generals including John Pershing, Douglas MacArthur and George Marshall, he was promoted to brigadier general.
As the United States entered into World War II, Eisenhower oversaw the invasions of North Africa and Sicily. His success in those invasions led to President Roosevelt choosing him to supervise the invasions of France and Germany as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. On June 6, 1944, Operation Overlord commenced. The D-Day Normandy landings successfully secured a foothold in France that resulted in the Allied victory. In December 1944 Eisenhower was recognized for his leadership and promoted to general of the Army and in 1945 Eisenhower replaced Marshall as chief of staff of the Army.
Following World War II, Eisenhower went on to become President of Columbia University and NATO supreme commander. In 1952 Eisenhower became the 34th president of the U.S. in a landslide election. He served a second term and was succeeded in 1961 by John F. Kennedy.
The event is part of the ongoing Living History at Your Library series. Future presentations include Abraham Lincoln with Jefferson Davis and Johnny Green sponsored by the Kentucky Humanities Council, an independent, nonprofit corporation affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities.
For program details or more information, contact the library at (502) 624-1232.
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