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Bob Dole addresses audience at St. Olaf College

By Karl Olson '08
April 13, 2006

Former U.S. Senator and presidential nominee Bob Dole delivered a speech to more than 700 students and community members at Skoglund Auditorium Tuesday, April 11. His speech, titled "Leadership in the 21st Century," described some of Dole's personal heroes and their leadership styles and touched on topics such as education, immigration, the current administration and foreign affairs.

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Senator Dole touched on many topics during his talk at St. Olaf.
Dole entered the room smiling to a standing ovation. Holding a pen in his right hand, he began his speech by inviting all World War II veterans to stand for recognition. Dole then described his role as the chairman of the World War II Memorial Campaign that raised over $180 million for the memorial in Washington, D.C.

Dole, himself a World War II veteran, received his law degree from Washburn University in Topeka, Kan., following the war. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1960 and the U.S. Senate in 1968. Since his departure from Congress in 1996, Dole has remained busy, making an unsuccessful run for president as the Republican Nominee, acting in commercials and writing books. His most recent book, One Soldier's Story, attempts to speak on behalf of fellow veterans and help younger people understand past generations.

"They call us the greatest generation because we were just ordinary, run-of-the-mill citizens fighting for the country," Dole said.

Dole's appearance at St. Olaf was funded by the Political Awareness Committee, a branch of the Student Government Association. He devoted much of his speech to defining leadership.

He said his personal hero, former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, embodied leadership. "He understood accountability; he understood responsibility; he understood what it meant to be a leader," Dole said. "We are all called to be leaders."

Speaking about contemporary issues, Dole said that education, AIDS and poverty are some of most important issues facing the country and world today. Throughout the 35-minute speech, Dole spoke about famine and how he is currently working on a program with former Senator George McGovern to provide children worldwide with at least one meal each day.

The speech was sponsored by St. Olaf Political Awareness Committee, a non-partisan organization committed to creating an increased awareness throughout the St. Olaf community in the areas of local, national and international political issues and increasing political efficacy among the student population.

Contact David Gonnerman '90 at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.