A dream deferred: Dole leaves KU for war

A KU student gets a physical before enlisting during WWII. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, many students felt compelled to join the war effort. University Archives, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries

When former Sen. Bob Dole arrived at KU in fall 1941 as a freshman from Russell, the university was celebrating its 75th anniversary. Dole wanted to prepare to study medicine, and he pledged at the Kappa Sigma fraternity, which had several members from Russell. He also worked as a waiter in the house and participated in football, basketball and track.

Deane W. Malott was chancellor, overseeing a little more than 4,000 students. Enrollment was down by 300 as many college-age students were choosing military service or were finding well-paid jobs in defense industries. More than 1,000 male KU students and faculty had registered for the draft in the Kansas Union the previous fall to comply with the new Selective Training and Service Act.

Then Pearl Harbor was attacked. Dole was among those who registered for the draft the week after the Dec. 7, 1941, attack. He was called to duty in June 1943, ending his KU career and launching an extraordinary adventure of tragedy and triumph.

His amazing odyssey will be marked this weekend with the four-day celebration and dedication of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics July 19 through 22.

While the event is timed to coincide with Dole’s 80th birthday, the celebration is designed to be as much about the young men and women who served with Dole in World War II as it is about Dole himself.

For more information about the Dole dedication and the institute, call 812-DOLE or visit a Dole Institute Web site at www.doleinstitute.org/dedication or www.dolemedia.ku.edu.