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ABILENE, Kan. - The Eisenhower Presidential Library will host a range of activities to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Events for D-Day+70 Years begin Friday, June 6, with a Remembrance Ceremony at 9 a.m. and continue through Saturday, June 7, with the Symphony at Sunset Annual D-Day Commemoration Concert.
"This commemoration is about honoring and remembering the many sacrifices of the veterans. But not only is this commemoration a way to honor the veterans, it is also a great opportunity to educate the younger generations of the impact of World War II and why it is still relevant today," states Karl Weissenbach, Director. "WWII is not taught in great depth in the high schools and most students are not even able to identify the leaders of the axis and allies involved in the war. We are using our holdings to create content for our #DDAY70 social media campaign as a way of reaching this audience, but we have also scheduled a number of public programs over the course of the D-Day Commemoration weekend to cover a range of topics."
Three new exhibits officially open the D-Day+70 Years commemorative weekend. They will be spotlighted at an Exhibit Opening Gala Reception at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 6, in the Library Courtyard. Reservations are required by May 30 and can be made by contacting eisenhower.news@nara.gov or 785-263-6700. The Gala includes a social hour with heavy hors d'ouevres, remarks, exhibit viewing, dessert social and concert by the Kansas State University Summer Choral Institute.
The new exhibits include:
- Be Ye Men of Valour: Allies of World War II tells the forgotten stories of the many smaller Allied countries during WWII. It explores the important victories, defeats and causes associated with these lesser-known nations and resistance groups. This free exhibit is located in the Library Second Floor Gallery and complements the "World War II Remembered: Leaders, Battles & Heroes" exhibit located in the Museum. Both exhibits strive to mark the significant 70th anniversaries of WWII and share new stories in a personal format.
- Forbidden Art is an exhibit on loan from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum of Poland and the Polish Mission of the Orchard Lake Schools in Michigan. This exhibit, in the Main Floor Gallery of the Library, features photographs of art created by prisoners of the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp. It was illegal for the prisoners to make art, yet many did so at great risk. These powerful images reflect the pain of their imprisonment. The exhibit runs through Labor Day 2014.
- Also opening are the supplements to the World War II Remembered: Leaders, Battles & Heroes exhibit, located in the Museum Temporary Gallery through fall 2014. These new displays feature Operations Overlord (D-Day/France), Bagration (Eastern Europe), Ichi-Go (China), and Forager (Mariana Islands).
Details for the full slate of events and activities for the D-Day+70 Years Commemorative weekend can be found at www.eisenhower.archives.gov.
The World War II Remembered exhibit has many sponsors including the Emma Balsiger Foundation, Dane G. Hansen Foundation and the William T. Kemper Foundation. A complete list of exhibit donors and information on becoming a sponsor can be found at www.eisenhower.archives.gov. Symphony at Sunset is sponsored by Marshall Motors, Salina, Kansas.
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