Evening star., 1956-12-26
ANOTHER ELECTION
Eisenhower Named
Man of Year Again
Hy the Associated Press

Dwight D. Eisenhower has won
another election.
Seconding the November vote
lof the American electorate, As
sociated Press newspaper. radio
and TV editors have named the
President as Man of the Year
for 1856.
AS was the case in the No
vember balloting. this also was
a reelection. Mr.. Eisenhower
has now won Man Of the Year
honors four times out of the last
i've years. Since 1852, the only
year he has missed the top spot
in the annual Associated Press
poll was 1854, when former
French Premier Mendes-France
was the winner.
Undoubtedly figuring high
among reasons for Mr.. Eisen-
hower's overwhelming margin in
this years poll was the cardinal
part he has played-and still is
playing I'm shaping Unite d
States policy in the critical Mid
die East. Developments in this
area produced news stories the
editors judged the biggest Of the
year.
Tribute to Courage
In addition to the Presidents
record of accomplishment, the
vote also may be interpreted as
a measure Of tribute to a man
who, despite heart attack and
major surgery for an abdominal
disorder, agreed to make the race
for the presidency and another
four years in what is generally
recognized as the toughest job
in the world.
President Canal Abdel Nasser
OF Egypt was selected by a mar
row margin as the outstanding
personality of 1856 in the field
OF foreign affairs, edging out
United States Secretary of State
John Foster Dulles and United
Nations Secretary General Dag
Hammarskjold. There is no
moral judgment involved in this
selection; it simply reflects the
editors belief that NasSer created
a bigger stir in world affairs than
anyone else.
The selection stems logically
from the editors choice of the
Middle East crisis as the biggest
news story Of the year, for it
was Nasser's emergence as the
leader of Arab nationalism, his
drift into partnership with the
Soviet Union and his dramatic
and sudden naturalization of the
Suez Canal which set the stage
for the autumn eruption Of vio-
lence on the eastern shore of the
Mediterranean.
DR.. Salk Honored Again
In science. the editors again
this year installed DR.. Jonas Salk
as their favorite. The University
OF Pittsburgh researcher who de-
veloped the vaccine providing
protection against polio won a
similar honor in 1854 and 1855
and tied with the late DR.. Alfred
Kinsey in 1858.
Behind DR.. Salk's reelection is
visible evidence - available for
the first time this year-of a
deep cut in the Nations number
OF polio victims. AS the year
drew to a close, the national
polio toll was around 10000
cases. less than half the average
number for the last five years.
Henry Ford II won designation
as top personality in industry
for 1856, an honor he also cap
tured in 1916. 1948, 1949, 1858
and 1855. His dominance in this
field apparently stems from his
record as dynamic representa-
tive of a new breed Of American
executives and the bold and
imaginative plan Of expansion
he has launched at the Ford
Motor Co.
In the field Of American labor,
the editors picked George
Meany, who led the merged AFL-
CIO through its first crucial year
of operations. Mr.. Meany dis
placed Walter Reuther as la
boris biggest newsmaker. Mr..
Reuther had won the honor five
times previously. 1t is Mr..
Meany's first appearance on the
top personalities list.
Billy Graham Still No. 1
Billy Graham continued his
pre-eminence in religion, becom-
ing No. / personality in the
religious field for the third
straight time. He was trailed
closely in the balloting by Josef
Cardinal Mindszenty, returned
both to freedom and the head
lines by the revolution against
communism in Hungary.
New faces turned up this year
in sports. entertainment and
literature.
On the strength Of his history
making perfectly pitched game
in the World Series. Yankee Don
Larsen won sports laurels 60
ing away. His selection makes
the World Series appear to be the
true springboard to fame. for
Brooklyn's Johnny Podres got
the nod in 1855 on the strength
OF his Unexpectedly brilliant
pitching against the Yankees that
year.
In entertainment. the editors
choice was Elvis Presley. who
rocked n rolled his way to either
fame or infamy. depending upon
viewpoint.
His selection was never in
doubt during the ballot count
ing; he polled more than 80 per
cent Of the total vote.
In literature, Sir Winston
Churchill was returned 10 the
niche he occupied previously in
1858. That first triumph was
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