The Kansas Work Ethic of Dwight D. Eisenhower,” a presentation and discussion by Roy Bird tonight at 6:00 p.m. in the Schmidt Gallery (First Floor) of the Hays Public Library. Members of the community are invited to attend the free program. Contact the Hays Public Library at 785-625-9014 for more information. The program is made possible by the Kansas Humanities Council.

Young Dwight Eisenhower learned to work hard at an early age. In addition to his daily chores, he worked various jobs from selling vegetables laboring as a farmhand, and working for several years at the Belle Springs Creamery. Bird will discuss how Ike managed these jobs while earning good grades in school and participating in sports and community activities.

Roy Bird is a retired librarian from the State Library of Kansas and former director of the Kansas Center for the Book. He is the author or coauthor of 17 books, mostly about Kansas and the American West.

“Adult audiences find the close identification I have with the location and the era of the Eisenhower family of the 1890s and early 20th century refreshing,” said Bird. “I talk about what Ike learned in Kansas, not events after he left.”

“The Kansas Work Ethic of Dwight D. Eisenhower” is part of the Kansas Humanities Council’s The Way We Worked Speakers Bureau, featuring presentations and discussions examining the theme of work and working in Kansas and how these stories help define us.

The Kansas Humanities Council conducts and supports community-based programs, serves as a financial resource through an active grant-making program, and encourages Kansans to engage in the civic and cultural life of their communities. For more information about KHC programs contact the Kansas Humanities Council at 785/357-0359 or visit online at www.kansashumanities.org.