When President Dwight Eisenhower envisioned creating Sister Cities in 1956 to promote world peace, United States citizens lived in fear of a nuclear war.

Sixty years later, the same threat permeates the thoughts of Americans, said Milt Laflen, Sister Cities’ state president, during the opening conference session May 21 in the Community Center.

The conference began May 20 with a Desert Belle cruise on Saguaro Lake.

“Sister Cities is more important today as it is the greatest citizen diplomacy organization in the world,” said Laflen.

A Sept. 11, 1956 video of a White House conference when Eisenhower explained the concept for Sister Cities was shown. Eisenhower thought forming a volunteer network would foster ties between people from different communities around the world.

By knowing each other on a personal basis, they could understand and appreciate differences while building friendships to lessen conflicts, he reasoned.

The Sister Cities program links 155 countries of which 550 American cities are involved. Representatives from 11 Arizona cities with 54 international affiliations attended the convention.

Fountain Hills has four Sister Cities: Ataco, El Salvador; Deirdorf, Germany; Kasterlee, Belgium, and Zamosc, Poland.

Former Fountain Hills Sister Cities president and now a state director ,Sharon Morgan substituted for Jackie Miles, chapter president, in chairing the program. Jackie’s husband, former Mayor Jerry Miles, was recently hospitalized.

If Sister Cities were to adopt a theme song, Morgan said the choice should be “You’ve Got to Be Taught,” from South Pacific.

“A child will play with anyone until they go in the house and their elders or parents say they cannot play with Johnny or Suzy or Bobby because of the color of his skin, the church he worships in or the language that he speaks,” said Morgan. “No child is born with hate in their heart.”

Sister Cities partnerships break down barriers between cultures by recognizing most people desire the same things in life – peace and prosperity for themselves and their families.

Morgan credited Fountain Hills Times publisher with L. Alan Cruikshank for initiating the local organization.

In her opening remarks, Mayor Linda Kavanagh referred to a comment by playwright Tennessee Williams who said, “America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco and New Orleans. Everything else is Cleveland.”

Admitting that there was some truth in what Williams said, Kavanagh said “some places are more cosmopolitan than others.”

“Fountain Hills is certainly not New York, nor New Orleans and it certainly doesn’t want to be San Francisco,” she added. “Fountain Hills could enjoy a little more cosmopolitanism, if there is such a word, so long as it remains a small town that we love.”

The Sister Cities organization brings big city amenities and international, diverse culture to small communities such as Fountain Hills and its neighbors.

Elements of the Sister Cities programs are youth and education, arts and culture, business and trade, and municipal exchange.

Afternoon breakout sessions concentrated on raising funds and involving youth.

Michael Curd reviewed Tempe Sister Cities’ 11-member delegation trip in February to Agra City, home of the Taj Mahal, and the cultural ties that Tempe is building with Agra, its tenth Sister City affiliation.

India’s population of 1.21 billion people is expected to overtake China’s 1.41 billion by 2030, said Curd.

India places a high value on education, sending students to attend Arizona State University and becoming practicing physicians in the United States.

“They want to explore America,” said Curd, encouraging other communities to explore Sister City affiliations with communities in India.

Next year’s state conference will be held in Sierra Vista.