“Bob Dole never forgot where he came from. He embodied the integrity, humor, compassion and unbounded work ethic of the wide open plains of his youth. He was a powerful voice for pragmatic conservatism, and it was that unique Kansan combination of attributes and values that made him such a giant of the Senate. “
The Dole Family, 12/6/2021
Make no mistake about it — Bob Dole never forgot where he came from.
It’s what first drew me to him in 1986. At age 26, I was working as an appointee of President Ronald Reagan for USDA Secretary John Block, in the Office of Congressional Relations and as Correspondence Manager for the Department’s 40 agencies.
It was time for a change and I had the same itch as I had in 1984 to get involved in a presidential campaign.
It was Bush vs. Dole for the GOP nomination. I knew the Bush folks from the Reagan-Bush ’84 campaign, but most of my colleagues at the USDA were interested in Senator Bob Dole due to his work on the farm bill.
I recall going to 919 Prince Street, an office owned by David Keene. It was a busy day. I watched a nice lady named Caroline typing quickly. Another woman walking swiftly tripped over a carpet in the hallway.
I was sent upstairs and told that the campaign manager would be delayed. The manager was Bill Lacy — the same man who just retired a few weeks ago in November 2021 as the Director of the Dole Institute of Politics.
I couldn’t have possibly known at that time of this meeting that 30 years later, I would have had the opportunity to work on the Dole for President campaign, as a U.S. Senate staffer in the Capitol and as a 2015 Fellow at the Dole Institute of Politics, running a series on extraordinary women.
All of the sudden, the door next to where I was sitting opened to a wave of cigar smoke. Out walked Bob Dole in person.
Dole: “I haven’t met you. What do you do here?”
Me: “Sir, I actually work at the USDA. I’m interviewing for a position – and I want to thank you for your work on the farm bill.”
Dole: “You’ve got to eat – right? Well, I really hope you decide to work here.”
At this point, I meet with Bill and mention that in my wildest dreams, I never expected to be recruited by the man himself.
Though Bill and I hit it off, I grilled him with tons of questions. I mean this is a big decision for a 26 year old — Bush or Dole?
Bill gave me a copy of Insight magazine, where there was a story about Senator Dole, what he had been through in war, his integrity, honesty and growing up in the heartland, poor but determined.
Bill asked me to read the article and see if my values more closely matched Bush or Dole. It was clear to me that Dole was my guy – an honest, straightforward man who had sacrificed, bore the wounds of war and had the determination to make life better for others.
And that’s how it all started.