Bob Dole to visit Wyandotte County May 15

By NICK SLOAN, nick@kansascitykansan.com

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- One of the giants in the history of Kansas politics will be making a stop in Wyandotte County next week.

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole will visit the area on May 15.

The Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, located at 520 Minnesota Avenue, will play host to Dole from 1-2 p.m. on May 15.

Dole served the state in the U.S. Senate for three decades. In 1996, he was the Republican Party's nominee for president.

The event is free and open to the public.

Bob Dole to visit Wyandotte County May 15

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole will be visiting Wyandotte County this May.

Dole, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1996, will visit the county on May 15 as part of a second state-wide tour.

“I’m making my way across the state of Kansas during several trips this year,” Dole said in a news release.  “I hope to see friends and former supporters of mine, and I am looking forward to enjoying lots of cookies along the way – preferably oatmeal raisin and chocolate.”

The exact location and time is unknown at this point and will be announced in upcoming days.

Dole Institute tries to instill knowledge about former senator early

By GILES BRUCE, The Lawrence Journal-World

Audrey Coleman, senior archivist at the Dole Institute of Politics at Kansas University, sometimes meets high school and college students who haven't heard of Bob Dole. So why not start educating them about the former U.S. senator from Kansas earlier?

That was the idea behind the institute's celebration of Dole's 90th birthday Monday, which, judging by the crowd, closer resembled a party for a 9-year-old.

Youngsters from the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence played mini-golf, participated in a scavenger hunt and decorated birthday cards for Dole, all to learn more about the long-serving Republican leader.

"For the senator's 90th birthday, we wanted to teach a younger generation about the senator and his many contributions to the country and the world," Coleman explained.

Kids donned party hats, colored cutouts of Leader (the Dole family dog), and decorated cards with sunflower stickers and birthday greetings.

"We're going to take these to the senator and he's going to read your messages," organizer Linda Clay told the assembled children, pointing to a sign at the table. "This is how you spell, 'Happy Birthday, Senator Dole.' Make sure you write your name on there so Senator Dole can read it."