<--PREV Doc #460  |  Memorial Commission Home Page  |  First Term Table of Contents  |  Presidential Papers Home Page  |  Doc#  |  NEXT--> Doc #462 Document #461; October 9, 1953 To Kenneth Dewey Johnson Series: EM, AWF, Name Series: New York School of Social Work The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XIV - The Presidency: The Middle Way Part III: The Space Age Begins; October 1957 to January 1958 Chapter 6: Building strength when there is "no perfect answer"   Dear Ken: When Governor Adams showed me your letter of the sixth, I asked him to let me have it to answer it personally.1 Just about inauguration time, I had a query from Frederick Sheffield as to whether I would accept Honorary Trusteeship of the New York School of Social Work.2 My impression is that I gave him verbal consent; if I failed to do so, I apologize for my seeming indifference to the compliment paid me by the Board of Trustees. Because I have retained a similar honorary title at Columbia University and because of my former relationship with the School of Social Work, whose functions I deem to be of the greatest significance, I am glad to hold the title of Honorary Trustee of the School. This does not, of course, completely answer the specific question you asked as to the use of my name on letterheads. I have found it necessary to resign from a great many institutions of a public service character, and inclusion of my name on your letterhead can conceivably cause me some embarrassment with the officers of those institutions. Nevertheless, I think there is a special circumstance involved in that I served as the official President of both Columbia and the School of Social Work. Consequently, you may continue to use my name on your stationary if you and the Trustees so desire.3 With warm personal regard. Sincerely 1 Hoping to continue to use Eisenhower's name on the New York School of Social Work's letterhead but not wishing to "violate protocol," Johnson (LL.B. Harvard 1924), dean of Columbia University's New York School of Social Work, had asked Adams to advise him "on the correct course of action to take in this instance" (AWF/N). For background see Galambos, Columbia University, nos. 605, 677, and 771. 2 Frederick Sheffield (LL.B. Yale 1927) was director and chairman of the New York School of Social Work. Sheffield's letter of January 27, 1953, is in AWF/N. 3 Eisenhower would later refuse requests for the use of his name on letterheads, explaining that he wanted to avoid the political implications of activities such as fund-raising (see Eisenhower to Johnson, June 19, 1954, and Eisenhower to Barton, July 7, 1954, AWF/D). Bibliographic reference to this document: Eisenhower, Dwight D. To Kenneth Dewey Johnson, 9 October 1953. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 461. World Wide Web facsimile by The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission of the print edition; Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presidential-papers/first-term/documents/461.cfm <--PREV Doc #460  |  Memorial Commission Home Page  |  First Term Table of Contents  |  Presidential Papers Home Page  |  Doc#  |  NEXT--> Doc #462

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