KU News Release

Dole Institute teams up with museum in western Kansas for exhibit

LAWRENCE — The Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas will unveil a special exhibit titled “You’ll Never Walk Alone: The Public and Private Life of Bob Dole” on Friday, April 4, at the Dane G. Hansen Museum, 110 W. Main St. in Logan. The exhibit — the first collaboration between the Dole Institute and the museum in northwestern Kansas — will run through April 20.

The exhibit was designed by Jamin Leigh Dreasher, a master’s degree student in museum studies at KU. Dreasher is the daughter of David and Roxie Fath of Tecumseh. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from KU in spring 2006 and is a graduate of Shawnee Heights Senior High School in Tecumseh.

“I am extremely pleased this new exhibit will open in Logan, which is in the heart of Bob Dole country,” said Jonathan Earle, interim director of the Dole Institute. “Ms. Dreasher did a fabulous job.”

Dole’s 35 years in Congress and his vice presidential and presidential bids have made him a familiar figure to Americans, particularly those in his home state of Kansas.

From the age of 22, when he was deployed to Italy in World War II, Dole became a public figure — first locally and later nationwide. He learned to keep separate the public and private parts of his life early on and continued to do so throughout his highly publicized career. The exhibit will explore the intersection between those private and public aspects, drawing on the resources of his archives at the Dole Institute.

Original papers, artifacts and photographs will help tell the story by tracing important events in Dole’s life. Each of his experiences had an important impact on the decisions he made in Congress and the causes he supported. Visitors will learn about his long hospitalization after he was wounded in World War II, how an impoverished past led him to push for reforms in programs for low-income citizens and his continued work to benefit the disabled. New insights from Dole himself will help provide a complete look at his life.

The Hansen museum’s hours are 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.

The Dole Institute is dedicated to promoting public service, civic engagement and politics. It is located on KU’s west campus next to the Lied Center.

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