"It is our reaction to tragedy, our resolution in the storm, that defines a lifetime. We can carry heavy burdens without complaints. Dwight D. Eisenhower was named Gallup's most admired man of his generation twelve times. He was the leader of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II; he became president of Columbia University; he was the supreme commander of NATO; he was a two-term US president who ended the Korean War, initiated the US highway system, and signed off on NASA. He engaged his final years as a peacetime ambassador. He achieved a life of global impact despite personal tragedy. "The death of our four-year-old son," he said at the end of his illustrious life, "we never did get over that."