The Iceman Cometh

Delegates to the National Association of Ice Industries convention, held last week in the Presidential Room of Washington's Hotel Statler, were listening stolidly to a lecture on methods of increasing sales when a familiar-looking man walked, grinning, into their midst. For a moment they simply goggled. Then they jumped to their feet, to a man, yelping with excitement. Ex-Iceman Ike Eisenhower had decided, on the spur of the moment, to drop in and see if "the bosses in this industry . . . look as coldhearted as my boss used to look [when] my job . . . was in the ice business."

One of the Night Men. The President had simply stepped down the hall after addressing a luncheon meeting of the general board of the National Council of the Churches of Christ. Beaming delightedly at the surprised faces before him, he reminisced about his youth. "I was the second engineer in the Belle Springs Creamery at Abilene, Kans. My work was from 6 at night to 6 in the morning, turning out 300-lb. cakes of ice for seven days a week." He went on to say that he had organized himself into a "one-man union" to get a wage raise, and it wasn't long before he had "the best job in town . . .

"After quite a fight with my employer, I got what I thought was my due in the way of wages." (Ike's initial pay for a twelve-hour night in 1906: $1.25. His top pay as night-shift boss in 1910: $55 a month.) "I want to tell you . . . that here is one group I have a certain kinship with, even though I was only one of the night men."

It was not the week's only moment of fun. The telephone industry presented the President with the 50 millionth phone to go into service in the U.S.--a French model with an adjustable bell tone, gold dial numbers, a presidential seal and 48 gold stars around the bottom of the base. Ike tried it out as soon as it was installed in his office; when news photographers asked him to pick up the receiver for a picture, he apologized to the White House switchboard: "I am sorry to tell you this call is just a fake. I'm getting my picture taken."

A Gold-Plated Can Opener. The President and Mrs. Eisenhower prepared to spend Thanksgiving Day in Augusta, Ga. with their son John, his wife and their three grandchildren. In doing so he would occupy for the first time the new "Little White House,'' built for him on the grounds of the Augusta National Golf Club by friends and admirers among the members. During the week it became evident that he would not want for food during his holiday: two national poultry groups gave him a live, 39-lb. gobbler, and the cranberry industry presented him with a hamper of cranberry sauce and a gold-plated can opener.

Last week the President also: P: Received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Washington's Catholic University of America. P: Authorized the Commodity Credit Corp. to supply low-cost feed to needy farmers in drought areas until Congress gets around to voting money for emergency help.

P: Was informed that the 100-year-old brick house on his 189-acre Gettysburg farm--now being restored, enlarged and equipped with new appliances by a Washington construction firm--will be ready for weekend occupancy by next spring.

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