Posted on Mon, May. 04, 2009

e-mail	print	RSS	reprint
AIM	Digg it	del.icio.us	Facebook

Doles share experiences, pay tribute to Jack Kemp

Associated Press

LAWRENCE - America needs more politicians and public servants with the passion of Jack Kemp, his longtime friends Bob and Elizabeth Dole said Sunday.

At a lecture at the University of Kansas, the Doles honored Kemp, who died of cancer Saturday at the age of 73.

"He was one of those Republicans who wanted to make the party bigger for the right reasons," Bob Dole said. "He's just a good guy and a good friend."

Kemp was Dole's running mate in the 1996 presidential race, and he helped Elizabeth Dole campaign in North Carolina for the U.S. Senate.

The Doles spoke to an afternoon crowd of more than 1,000 students, faculty and residents at the Lied Center, located across the parking lot from the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics. Bob Dole served six terms in the Senate after beginning his career as county attorney, legislator and member of the House of Representatives.

Elizabeth Dole, who last year lost her re-election bid to the Senate, served as transportation secretary for President Ronald Reagan and labor secretary for President George H.W. Bush before spending 1991-1998 as head of the American Red Cross.

Mixing stories from their long and distinguished political careers, the Doles also shared their humor and insight to their special relationship that dates to the 1970s.

Early in the lecture, Elizabeth Dole began telling a story about the challenges of being a woman in politics and public service in the 1960s. Her husband urged her to keep it moving and not take too long.

"This is an interesting story," she said.

"How long is it," he asked.

"You're going to get into trouble. Who's going to fix you dinner," she replied.

So went most of the hour-long session, moderated by Bill Lacy, a former Republican adviser who serves as director of the Dole Institute. The Doles encouraged students and young adults to take an active role in politics and public service, saying that the nation needed strong leaders to come forward and help restore confidence while ending divisiveness in Washington.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.CommentBody@

@Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@