KU News Release

Bob and Elizabeth Dole to speak jointly at KU

Bob and Elizabeth Dole

LAWRENCE — Sens. Bob and Elizabeth Dole will give a rare joint interview as part of the “2009 Dole Lecture: Unlimited Partners” at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at the Lied Center at the University of Kansas.

“These two individuals have had independently extraordinary careers dedicated to public service,” said Bill Lacy, director of KU’s Dole Institute of Politics. “Yet together, the Doles’ successes are even more remarkable. We are privileged to host not one, but two outstanding individuals for our 2009 Dole Lecture.”

The event is free and open to the public. Tickets will be available for the public beginning at 11 a.m. Monday, April 20, at the Lied Center box office. Student tickets (with valid KU Card) will be available starting April 20 at the Student Union Activities box office and the Lied Center. Limit of four tickets per person.

Bob and Elizabeth Dole met in 1972 as she lobbied him to add consumer issues to the Republican platform. They married in December 1975, creating one of Washington’s most famous power couples. Independently and collectively, the two have dedicated their lives to serving others politically and philanthropically.

Robert J. Dole's commitment to public service began during his college years, when he enlisted in the Army Reserve Corps in December 1942. Soon after, he left KU to serve in World War II. After returning home wounded, Dole spent three years rebuilding his body through the help of his native Russell, Kan., community and his family. To repay community members for their generosity and support, Dole continued a life of public service. He has served as Russell County attorney, Kansas state representative, U.S. representative, U.S. senator, chairman of the Republican National Committee, vice presidential candidate for Gerald Ford in 1976 and candidate for president in 1996. In addition to his service as an elected official, Dole has also volunteered his time to charitable causes, including the World Food Programme, Americans with Disabilities and a scholarship fund for the families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Elizabeth Hanford Dole began her career in public service at the age of 29, when she began working for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration and for the Office of Consumer Affairs. She was promoted under the Nixon administration to executive director of the President’s Committee for Consumer Interests and later to the Federal Trade Commission. She is the only woman to have served as cabinet secretary of two federal departments under two presidents (transportation, 1983-87, under Ronald Reagan; and labor, 1989-90, under George H.W. Bush). Dole was president of the American Red Cross from 1991 to 1998, the first woman to hold the position since founder Clara Barton held it in 1881. A presidential candidate in the 2000 election, she was elected to the U.S. Senate for the state of North Carolina in 2002 but lost the seat in the 2008 election.

The Dole Lecture is held annually to commemorate Bob Dole’s recovery from an injury he sustained during a World War II battle April 14, 1945, in Italy. Previous Dole Lectures have been given by President Bill Clinton, Sen. Tom Daschle, Gen. Richard Myers and journalist Tom Brokaw. Bob Dole has delivered the Dole Lecture once before, in 2005.

MEDIA CREDENTIALS: Members of the media planning to attend the lecture should contact University Relations at kunews@ku.edu by April 24 to reserve space. A pool feed will be provided for broadcast media.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.