Sam R. Heller

Sam Raymond Heller (1892 - 1969) was born in the Pearl community southeast of Abilene, Kansas. He attended high school in Chapman, Kansas, and served in the U.S. Navy in World War I. In 1927 he became an officer of the United Trust Company of Abilene, and was a business and civic leader in Abilene for the rest of his life. He was active in the Eisenhower Foundation which helped build the Eisenhower Museum (now part of the Eisenhower Presidential Center), and served as its president from 1955 to 1969. Heller was also a friend of Dwight D. Eisenhower and helped make arrangements for Eisenhower’s visits to Abilene.