A $500,000 grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Logan, KS, to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Foundation will contribute to the Legacy of Leadership campaign.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower: A Legacy of Leadership capital campaign will fund the renovation of 25,000 square feet of exhibit space – more than 78 percent of the total space in the museum.
Dane G. Hansen was a personal friend and adviser to President Eisenhower. Mr. Hansen served as Vice President of the Board of Trustees for the Eisenhower Foundation in 1949. He was involved in the fundraising and construction of the Eisenhower Museum and Presidential Library in Abilene. The museum was dedicated in 1954.
“The trustees make this gift to honor the long-standing friendship between Mr. Hansen and President Eisenhower,” said Cy Moyer, President of the Board of Trustees of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation. “We are pleased to be a part of a project that will further the legacy of President Eisenhower and enrich the people of Kansas.”
The renovation of the museum will include touch screens in each of the permanent galleries that invite visitors to learn more than what is presented in the static exhibits. Six main galleries will present the life and legacy of President Eisenhower in chronological order.
“The Eisenhower Foundation is excited about our next major project — the comprehensive renovation of the Eisenhower Presidential Museum,” said Meredith Sleichter, Executive Director of the Eisenhower Foundation. “This will be the first time since it was dedicated in 1954 that it will tell the remarkable story of Dwight D. Eisenhower in a single, cohesive design.”
The Hansen Foundation grant will be used to support the renovation of the first gallery, titled “From the Heart.” It will chronical Ike’s life while he was growing up in Abilene to 1911, when he boarded a train to West Point Military Academy. A primary feature within the gallery will be the newly designed “IKEducation Center,” where K – 12 students can participate in 33 unique programs created by a team of professional educators.
The total renovation is slated to be completed in time for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion on June 6, 2019.
“While the Eisenhower Foundation is currently in the ‘silent phase’ of the campaign, we are very encouraged by the response we have received so far, both in terms of volunteers who are serving as campaign council and commitments from organizations like the Dane G. Hansen Foundation,” Sleichter said.
In recognition of the generous donation from the Hansen Foundation, residents of the 26-counties in Northwest Kansas served by the Dane G. Hansen Foundation will receive free admission to the newly renovated Eisenhower Presidential Museum from the time it re-opens through June 2020 simply by showing an ID verifying county of residence.
