Abilene ? As President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s hometown celebrates the 50th anniversary of his election, visitors this week to the Eisenhower Library got a different perspective of the nation’s 34th president.

George Colburn, a Michigan director, writer and producer of independent films, shared his views on Eisenhower Thursday as he showed highlights of his 90-minute documentary “Why Ike Ran….”

As a graduate student in the 1960s, Colburn’s only view of Eisenhower was that of a fatherly figure. His presidency was not filled with war, and the economy was stable.

“History doesn’t have a good memory of the 1952 campaign,” Colburn said. “The thought was he was a pre-ordained winner.”

That was not true, the filmmaker said.

Eisenhower was popular, but he was not a favorite among conservative Republicans who held many of the prominent positions within the party, Colburn said.

Colburn says he hopes the film, to be completed early next year, will be shown on public television and become a springboard to greater awareness of Eisenhower’s presidency.

Colburn said he still was in the process of raising money for the project, which includes perspective on Eisenhower from the likes of legendary journalist Walter Cronkite.

Colburn also has worked on a project about the Eisenhower era of 1941-61.