CCongratulations to Dwight D. Eisenhower (and Kris Reddick) for winning the Most Influential American Tournament. Eisenhower makes history as the lowest seed to ever win this tournament. Ike came in as a 12 seed in the president's bracket. He defeated Ronald Reagan, Thomas Jefferson, Harry Truman, and Franklin Roosevelt on his way to the championship. Kris Reddick's projects and presentations were tremendous and helped carry Ike to the title by a 4-3 vote of our esteemed faculty committee.
While some may scoff as Ike as the Most Influential American, take a look at a brief summary of his accomplishments:
--Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II. He orchestrated and led the invasion of Normandy.
--Planned and supervised the invasion of North Africa during World War II (Operation Torch)
--Signed the Federal Highway Act into law in 1956--think about how often we travel on highways instead of ol' Route 66!
--Signed an armistice to end the Korean War
--Signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and 1960--these were the first significant Civil Rights laws passed since Reconstruction.
--Helped to end the Red Scare and the reign of Joseph McCarthy
--Authorized the creation of NASA
--Desegregated the Armed Forces
--Launched the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which ultimately led to the development of the Internet--and you thought Al Gore invented the Internet!!!!
Congratulations Kris...he takes home the coveted PINK FLAMINGO!