Bob Dole To Speak At SHSU
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Bob Dole |
Bob Dole, one of the most prominent United States politicians
of the last half century, will speak at Sam Houston State University
Oct. 22.
Dole's speech
will be the 12th in the President's Speaker Series, which was
begun in 2002 to bring speakers to campus who have lived successful
and principled lives. It is scheduled for 10 - 11 a.m. in the
Beto Criminal Justice Center's Killinger Auditorium.
Born in Kansas
and reared there during the Great Depression, Dole and his family
lived in the basement of their home while the rest of it was
rented out. He had a number of odd jobs to help earn money, including
working as a soda jerk at the local drug store.
He was an athlete
in high school and at the University of Kansas, playing on his
college's basketball team under legendary coach Phog Allen. He
discontinued his law studies at Kansas in 1942 to join the U.
S. Army.
In April of
1945, while engaged in combat in the hills of northern Italy,
he was hit by German machine gun fire in his upper right back.
His right arm was also badly injured. He was twice decorated
for heroism, receiving two Purple Hearts for his injuries, and
the Bronze Star Medal with combat "V" for valor for
his attempt to assist a downed radioman.
After the war
he continued his law studies and in 1950 was elected to the Kansas
House of Representatives. He served eight years as a county attorney
and in 1960 was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives.
He was elected to the U. S. Senate in 1968, serving until 1996,
when he resigned to focus on his campaign for the presidency.
He held a number of powerful committee posts in the Senate,
served as majority leader from 1985 until 1987 and 1995 to 1996,
as well as minority leader from 1987 to 1995.
In 1976 he
ran unsuccessfully for vice president on a ticket headed by Gerald
Ford. He ran for the 1980 Republican presidential nomination
that was won by Ronald Reagan, for the 1988 nomination won by
George H. W. Bush, and received the Republican nomination in
1996, losing to incumbent Bill Clinton.
Since his retirement,
Dole has worked part-time for a Washington, D.C., law firm, and
pursued a second career of writing, consulting, public speaking,
and television appearances. He has been seen on television in
commercials for such products as Visa, Viagra, Dunkin' Donuts
and Pepsi-Cola, and as an occasional political commentator on
Larry King Live.
President Clinton
awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in early 1997 for
his service in the military and his political career. He received
the American Patriot Award in 2004 for his lifelong dedication
to America and his service in World War II.
The Robert
J. Dole Institute of Politics, housed on the University of Kansas
campus in Lawrence, Kansas, was established to bring bipartisanship
back to politics. The Institute opened in July 2003 to coincide
with Dole's 80th birthday. In 2007, along with three other former
U. S. Senate majority leaders, he established the Bipartisan
Policy Center.
He has written
several books, including one on jokes told by the presidents
of the United States. In 2005 he released his biography, "One
Soldier's Story: A Memoir," which covers his World War II
experiences and his battle to cope with his war injuries.
Earlier this
year President George W. Bush appointed Dole and Donna Shalala
co-chairs of a commission to investigate problems at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center.
He is married
to Elizabeth Dole, U. S. Senator from North Carolina.
The President's
Speaker Series is underwritten by the estate of Lu Ellen Gibbs.
Previous speakers have included Gene Stallings, Debbie Fields,
Dave Dravecky, David Robinson, James Haley, Mickey Herskowitz,
Wallace Jefferson, Ken Jennings, Drayton McLane Jr., Sherron Watkins
and Jackie Pflug.
—END—
SHSU Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
Sept. 25, 2007
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu.
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