Author Talk: "Eisenhower: The Public Relations President."

"Eisenhower:The Public Relations President"to be Discussed by Author

Dr. Pam Parry, author of "Eisenhower:The Public Relations President," will speak at the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home on March 31. Beginning at 7 p.m. in the Visitors Center auditorium, the free program is open to the public.

In the 1950s public relations practitioners tried to garner respectability for their fledgling profession and President Dwight D. Eisenhower helped in that endeavor. He embraced public relations as a necessary component of American democracy, advancing the profession at a key moment in its history. But Eisenhower did more than believe in public relations--he practiced it.

The book is based on many hours of research in the Eisenhower Presidential Library archives. Parry's research shows that Eisenhower deserves credit as this nation's most innovative public relations president because he revolutionized America's political communication process, forever changing the president's relationship with the Fourth Estate, Madison Avenue, public relations and ultimately, the American people.

Currently Parry is Associate Professor of Communication at Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Ky. She earned her Ph.D. in Communication with an emphasis in Media History and in Public Relations in 2013 from the University of Southern Mississippi. Her dissertation research explored the public relations philosophy of the Eisenhower Administration. Her research interests include public relations history and presidential communications and has been honored by the American Journalism Historians Association and the University of Southern Mississippi. Parry also holds a Master of Arts in Communication with an emphasis in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University in Washington, D.C., and a Master of Religious Education from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. She earned a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia.  

Copies of the book will be available for purchase in the Presidential Gift Shop, and a book signing will follow Parry's presentation.

The Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, a nonpartisan federal institution, is part of the Presidential Libraries network operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire.