No one knows how or when the old reel of film ended up on an upper shelf at the Neshaminy School District’s offices in Middletown, but everyone now knows the truly unique footage that was on the 16mm Kodak film.
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The district announced on Facebook Thursday that community outreach coordinator Chris Stanley had uncovered the footage of retired general and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower visiting Levittown in 1964.
The footage was uploaded to YouTube and shows Eisenhower, known to many as “Ike,” visiting the school in Middletown’s Levittown section.
Eisenhower visited on May 27, 1964 at the dedication for the school on Woodbourne Road that was named in his honor. The school was closed in the 1980s and sold to nonprofit Delta Community Supports several years back.
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From the district:
The school had opened in September, 1963, and according to one report was one of 44 school buildings around the country named for Ike at the time. That report also stated this was the first dedication he had attended for any of those buildings, which followed a letter-writing campaign by the school urging him to come.
The visit was a surprise, known in advance to only a few administrators. Ike requested no publicity for the event, which left the rest of Levittown watching his arrival and departure from behind a fence at the edge of the school property.
During his 40-minute visit, Pres. Eisenhower spoke to the students and staff at the school, then toured the building with an entourage that included Principal Janet Schwalm, District administrators, and a member of the school safety patrol.
During the tour, he autographed some items, including a large portrait of himself painted by first-grade teacher Alice Stutzman. Students at the school had filled the hallways with art works depicting his life and career.
The children asked questions about a variety of topics, including Eisenhower’s wife Mamie, his part in sending troops to Little Rock in 1957 during the integration crisis, and his role as a five-star General in World War II.
As he left, Pres. Eisenhower acknowledged the crowd behind the fence with a big wave, then took off in his Army helicopter.
Later that evening, another program was held in the school as part of the dedication, this one open to parents. Students presented a re-enactment of the life of Eisenhower on stage, including some musical numbers.The scenes included ‘West Point,’ ‘London, 1942,’ ‘England 1944,’ ‘Paris 1951,’ ‘Campaign Tour,’ ‘Washington D.C.,’ and a NATO Dance.
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Stanley said he found the reel of film by accident when attending a meeting.
“Nobody knows who put it there, but it has been sitting for years. I have access to a 16mm projector so I took it home and transferred it to video. There was some reel-to-reel audio tapes accompanying the film, which one of our staff members will be converting to a digital file in the near future,” he said.
“Due to the unpublicized nature of the visit, it may be the only record of the activities that day,” the district said on Facebook.
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Previously, Stanley has shared old documents from the history of the Neshaminy School District.
Credit: Neshaminy School District
