October 7, 2008

CARY , NC – The granddaughter of former President Dwight Eisenhower will sit down and share anecdotes of her life during “An Evening with Mary Jean Eisenhower” on Friday, October 10 at 7 p.m. in the Cary Town Hall Council Chambers, 316 N. Academy St.; a reception will follow in the Town Hall Atrium immediately after the free event.  As part of the talk, Ms. Eisenhower will discuss citizen-to-citizen diplomacy and how it relates to the shared goals of the co-hosts of the event – Cary’s Sister Cities Commission, People to People International (PTPI), Eisenhower Fellowships Research Triangle International Leadership Initiative Fellows, and the International Affairs Council.

“We are honored to welcome Mary Jean Eisenhower to our community, and everyone is invited to join us for the opportunity to meet such an advocate for world peace here at Cary Town Hall ,” said Kris Carmichael, the Sister Cities Commission Liaison. 

Born in Washington , D.C. during her grandfather’s first term in office, Eisenhower has devoted much of her life to her grandfather’s causes.  President Eisenhower founded People to People International on September 11, 1956 . After several years of volunteer work with PTPI, Ms. Eisenhower has served as its Chief Executive Officer since January of 2000, currently serving as President and Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Eisenhower joined PTPI hoping to carry on her grandfather’s dream.  Now it has become her life’s work, and she carries the mission and the founder’s dream ardently as her own.   

Since joining People to People International, Ms. Eisenhower has traveled extensively throughout the US , Africa , Europe and Asia , including a visit to Morocco to represent her family to the King.  She also traveled through the lands of the D-day invasion during the centennial anniversary of her grandfather’s birth. There she had the privilege of meeting many of the European veterans who served with her grandfather.

More recently, Ms. Eisenhower received an Honorary Doctorate in Letter of Humane from Schiller International University in Florida . She made history as the first recipient in this category from the University, which has eight campuses in six countries.

Ms. Eisenhower has also been awarded the Knight of Peace Award from the International University in Assisi , Italy . This award is given for a period of 1,000 years. So, in addition to President Eisenhower and Mary receiving the award, it will then go to her son, his offspring, and so forth.  Among the prestigious individuals who have received this distinction are Mother Teresa, Mikhail Gorbachev and Bill Gates.

In addition to PTPI, Ms. Eisenhower’s visit to Cary was made possible by several other organizations including the Cary Chapter of Sister Cities International, a non-profit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between U.S. and international communities. The Eisenhower Fellowships Research Triangle International Leadership Initiative Fellows was created as a unique international exchange program and was presented to President Eisenhower in 1953.  Lastly, the International Affairs Council is an independent, non-partisan organization that promotes understanding of world affairs, citizen-to-citizen diplomacy and the recognition of North Carolina as an international center of education, culture and business. 

For more, visit www.ptpi.org or call (919) 460-4963.

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