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Article from the
Ayrshire Post August 4th 2011
See also Video
from STV and
Eisenhower at
Maybole and Culzean Castle
A DISPLAY honouring a man who
once led the free world has been removed from Culzean
Castle. And many feel the move is incredibly disrespectful
to the memory of US President Dwight D Eisenhower. Items of
memorabilia have been taken off show in the castle. And
people who asked why it was gone were told ‘because it
looked tired’. “I’m shocked about this,” a Culzean insider
told the Ayrshire Post. ”I don’t think it was the right
thing to do. “If the exhibition looked tired, it should have
been brightened up.” “People love nostalgia – if it’s well
presented.”
Ironically, Culzean’s future
is secure thanks to millions of dollars in bequests from
Americans. The most recent was a $4 million legacy from
William R Lindsay, who died in Las Vegas in November last
year. As a student, Mr Lindsay met Eisenhower, and was
interested in the president’s connections with Culzean.
Maybole Community Council has discussed the removal of the
Eisenhower display, chairman David Kiltie this week
confirmed, when asked by the Post.
“We met Culzean property
manager Paul Pomfret and told him how unhappy we were,” said
Mr Kiltie. “When Eisenhower came here as president, Culzean
was his Scottish White House. “He regarded Maybole as his
Scottish home town, and he was given the Freedom of the
Burgh even before he was president. “That was on Saturday,
October 5, 1946 – 65 years ago this year. “The Culzean
display included a copy of the freedom scroll,” said Mr
Kiltie. “And we have asked Mr Pomfret to make this available
for display in Maybole, if it is not required at Culzean.”
Another Maybole community
councillor, Alex Kelly said: “The Eisenhower display should
be put back immediately. “It was absolutely shameful to
remove it. And I understand that visitors who show an
interest in Eisenhower are told they can see newsreels on a
handset. “But they could get that sitting at home watching
TV. And it’s clearly not the same as a physical display,
that people can be photographed beside, if they wish.” Mr
Pomfret believes the changes will help to keep Culzean
contemporary. He said: “The Eisenhower exhibition was more
than 30 years old, and the normal life-cycle for a show of
this type is six to seven years.”
Mr Pomfret said extensive
visitor research was carried out, although he admitted that
only nine per cent of those who replied said they wanted a
new exhibition. However, 55 per cent wanted to see the
Eisenhower apartments – now run as a hotel, and not part of
the castle tour. The new handsets give a ‘virtual tour’ of
the apartments, as well as newsreel footage of Eisenhower at
Culzean. These ‘apps’ are also available as downloads for
people across the globe. But Mr Pomfret admits there is
currently nothing physical relating to Eisenhower that
visitors can be photographed beside. Culzean Castle was
gifted to the National Trust for Scotland in 1945.
Donors the Kennedy family
asked that the top floor be given to then General Eisenhower
as a thank you from the people of Scotland for his wartime
service. Eisenhower was Supreme Commander of the Allied
forces who invaded Europe in 1944-45 to free the continent
from Fascism. ‘Ike’, as Eisenhower was affectionately
nicknamed, first visited Culzean in 1946, and was clearly
touched to accept the gift. He was also given the Freedom of
the Burgh of Maybole, and huge crowds gathered outside the
town hall to hear him speak. Ike also played golf at
Turnberry and went to church at Kirkoswald, when he stayed
in the apartments gifted for his lifetime use.
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