Eisenhower Legacy Dinner

The Eisenhower Foundation and Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum invited SLSDC Administrator Collister Johnson, Jr. to be the keynote speaker at their annual Eisenhower Legacy Dinner on Friday, October 16, 2009 in Abilene, Kansas. The audience of some 150 people traditionally includes descendants of President Eisenhower, the Governor and officials from the state of Kansas, general officers from nearby Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth, area business leaders, university officials, and other “Friends of the Eisenhower Foundation.”

Photo courtesy of Abilene Reflector-Chronicle

The Administrator’s remarks were most fitting as the Seaway is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. A few years ago, President Eisenhower was named the “Transportation Person of the 20th Century” by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. While his establishment of the interstate highway system is well known, we believe it is equally important for Americans to understand his critical role in the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway and the impact this vital waterway has on commerce in this country. Administrator Johnson said, “Eisenhower was the right president at the right time.” Eisenhower was president when the Wiley-Dondero Act (or Seaway Act, May 1954) was approved to allow the U.S. and Canada to develop the seaway.