(Radio Iowa) – Former Kansas Senator Bob Dole, the winner of Iowa’s 1988 and 1996 Caucuses, has died at the age of 98. Dole, who survived nearly fatal wounds in World War II and served 35 years in the U.S. Senate, was sometimes called “Iowa’s third senator.”
In both campaigns, Dole stressed his skills as a leader in the U.S. Senate.
Dole made those remarks during a speech in Ankeny, Iowa. Senator Chuck Grassley, who endorsed Dole and campaigned with him extensively, sat beside Dole in San Diego as Dole was formally named the G-O-P’s presidential nominee in 1996. Grassley issued a written statement, calling Dole a loyal friend and trusted mentor who set a standard of selflessness that all public servants should strive to emulate. Monte Shaw, who managed ELIZABETH Dole’s presidential campaign in Iowa, worked as a field organizer in southern Iowa for Dole’s 1996 caucus campaign.
“He was an authentic American hero,” Shaw says, “and he was a good man.” Dole was honored with the 2008 World Food Prize and delivered an acceptance speech in the Iowa Capitol — promising the crowd it would be short.
Dole ended on a somber note, reciting a poem called “The Dash” which focuses on the dash between the dates of birth and death that are listed on a tombstone.
Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, the current U.S. Ag secretary, issued a statement of condolence to the Dole family and he mentioned Dole’s sponsorship of the School Feeding Program that provides meals to children in low-income countries where food is scarce.
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