She likes Ike. Now she’s changing his museum
As the new director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home in Abilene, Dawn Hammatt says she is prepared for change.
Hammatt will lead one of Kansas’ top tourist attractions through a major renovation of its permanent galleries and exhibits, the first since 1971.
The process is expected to take a year and means closing the museum in the spring of 2018 and reopening in time for the 75th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 2019. The rest of the complex will remain open during the process.
The campus has five buildings: the library, the museum, the visitors center, Eisenhower’s boyhood home and a chapel.
Some of the museum’s old exhibits will be taken out while new ones are put in, Hammatt said.
Exhibits after the museum is renovated will include the D-Day planning table and the men who sat around it with Eisenhower, making plans.
The dollar amount for the renovation project has not yet been disclosed, said Hammatt, who replaced Karl Weissenbach, the director since 2008.
Hammatt, 48, has spent much of her career in museum work in the South. Most recently, she was at the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience in Meridian, Miss., where she managed the design and fabrication of a new 22,000-square-foot exhibit.
The Eisenhower Library and Museum is one of 14 libraries in the Presidential Library system administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.
“Sharing the Eisenhower story is a magnificent opportunity,” she said. “We are all a bunch of storytellers in our hearts. And this is a new story to tell.”
Hammatt talked with The Eagle about Eisenhower, his legacy and what people may have forgotten about our 34th president.
Q. What is it about Dwight D. Eisenhower we don’t know?
A. “I was attracted to his humanity. This was a man who went through life and when things didn’t go right – things that happen to all of us – he made the necessary changes to do more.”
For example, Hammatt said, what many Kansans may not know is that when Eisenhower was in school, he didn’t necessarily apply himself. When the U.S. became involved in World War I, Eisenhower didn’t see combat.
“He is a trained soldier, and soldiers go into battle when their country calls. The very fact he did not excel in school was the issue as to why he wasn’t called into action.
“He never let that happen again. After that, he was always at the top of his class, overprepared. He took every opportunity to learn.”
Q. What do you admire about Eisenhower?
A. “He felt very strongly that he was called to service. His sense of duty is overwhelming. He believed he was placed on this Earth to serve America, and he did that.”
But, Hammatt said, as he served, he did it in gentle ways – particularly as president.
“What we often overlook is that outside of war, he wanted groups he was interacting with to work together to find common solutions. It was fantastic the things he was able to do and push through Congress.”
The civil rights movement was advanced under the Eisenhower administration, NASA was founded, the interstate system was started, and the Korean War was ended.
A man of profound faith, Eisenhower started the National Prayer Breakfast and added two words to the Pledge of Allegiance – “under God.”
Q. How do you tell a story that’s been told so many times before?
A. “We get to tell two stories here: his military career and his presidency. He was extraordinarily proud that he was from Kansas. We want to make sure that visitors understand that his being from Kansas was what made him into the man he was.
“He really was a man of peace and believed in it as only a warrior and soldier can. His concept of peace and the issues he dealt with included Korea, escalations in Vietnam, the Cold War – and how America would deal with those issues. During his presidency, America saw the largest growth of prosperity they ever witnessed.”
Hammatt said what is impressive about Eisenhower is how his reputation as president continues to grow over time when compared with other presidents.
“As we are looking for some moderation in our lives, I think he makes us think about an idealistic time period of the recent past; he offers a gentle firmness.”
Beccy Tanner: 316-268-6336, @beccytanner
If you go
What: Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home
Where: 200 SE Fourth St., Abilene. The center is 2 miles south of the Abilene exit off I-70.
Hours: The museum is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Tickets: $12 for adults; $9 for seniors, retired and disabled military and students; $3 for ages 6-15; free for ages 5 and under and for active military with ID
For more info: www.eisenhower.archives.gov or 785-263-6700
Fun facts
▪ The Eisenhower Library had 1,400 research visits in 2016 as researchers poured over some of the almost 26 million pages available.
“The thing I think most people may not realize is that his papers include papers not only from him but people in his Cabinet and from his family and friends,” said Dawn Hammatt, the center’s director.
Among some of the items the Eisenhower center has in its collections:
▪ An Enigma machine, used by the Nazis to encode and decode sensitive information during World War II. The code was broken by the Allies.
▪ The “In case of failure” note that Eisenhower wrote to be released to the press if the invasion of Normandy failed. The note praises the troops involved in D-Day for their bravery and devotion, and “If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.”
▪ The hand-written journals of Kay Summersby, Eisenhower’s wartime secretary. Some historians think the relationship between Eisenhower and Summersby may have been intimate, but Summersby’s diaries offer no confirmation of that.
This story was originally published July 5, 2017 at 6:49 AM with the headline "She likes Ike. Now she’s changing his museum."