Colorado Springs, Colo. A 30-year U.S. Senate veteran and former presidential candidate will share his experiences as part of a student scholarship fundraising effort at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
Former Senator Robert Dole will be the speaker for a 6 p.m. Aug. 24 event at the Broadmoor Hotel’s International Center. The event will benefit the Reach Your Peak Scholarship Program at CU-Colorado Springs and is named in honor of community leaders Bruce and Anne Shepard, Colorado Springs.
Tickets for the event are $250 and include dinner. Corporate tables are also available. For more information, contact Maurin Dajani, (719) 262-3465, or Ann Cesare, (719) 262-3046.
Dole was elected to the Kansas Legislature in 1950 and served in the House of Representatives from 1951 to 1953. He was elected to four consecutive terms as Russell County (Kan.) Attorney, 1952 to 1960. In 1960, Dole was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and reelected in 1962, 1964, and 1966. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1968 and was reelected in 1974, 1980, 1986, and 1992. His distinguished career in the U.S. House and Senate included long-standing service as a member of the House and Senate committees on agriculture and chair of the Senate Finance Committee. In 1984, he was elected Senate majority leader, and thereafter served four consecutive Congresses as Senate Republican leader until he retired from the Senate in 1996 to seek the Presidency.
Dole was the Republican candidate for President in 1996, and Republican candidate for Vice President in 1976. He served as Republican National Committee chairman from 1971 to 1973. Among numerous distinguished appointments, he was an adviser, U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 1965, 1968, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979; member, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, 1977; member, National Commission on Social Security Reform, 1983; member, U.S. National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, 1970, 1973; adviser, U.S. Delegation to Study the Arab Refugee Problem, 1967; and adviser, President’s Delegation to Study the Food Crisis in India, 1966.
A decorated veteran of WWII, Dole was a platoon leader of the Tenth Mountain Division where he received serious wounds. He earned two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster for his service.
Now retired from politics, Dole serves as chairman of the WWII Memorial Campaign and as counsel to a Washington law firm. He is the author of two best-selling books, “Great Presidential Wit, I Wish I was in the Book” and “Great Political Wit, Laughing (Almost) All the Way to the White House.” He is a frequent guest on late-night talk shows and has made commercial endorsements.
The lecture series, now in its second year, is named in recognition of the community contributions of Bruce and Anne Shepard, Colorado Springs. Bruce Shepard served as president of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Homebuilder’s Association. He served two terms as a member of the Colorado Springs City Council. In 1985, he received the University of Colorado Distinguished Service Award and, in 2002, the University Medal.
Anne Shepard was an honorary trustee of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado. The Shepards hosted the 1994 Hall of Fame Induction ceremony honoring Colorado Springs High School/Palmer Alumni Association inductees. Additionally, the Shepards are closely involved with CU-Colorado Springs and the Reach Your Peak Scholarship Program.
Sponsors of the lectures series include: Patron Sponsors: David and Sue Jenkins,
Kopper Investment Management, Bruce and Anne Shepard, Jeff and Cindy Smith. Underwriting Sponsors: Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado, Hill Development Corporation, David and Gaynelle Mize, Student Government Association/Campus Activities Board, Steve and Susan Suggs. Gold Sponsors: CU Foundation; El Pomar Foundation; Fittje Brothers Printing; The Gazette; G.E. Johnson Construction Company; Brad and Marilyn Kuhn; Memorial Hospital; News First 5/30; Penrose St. Francis Health Services; Don and Nancy Robertson.
CU-Colorado Springs, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in northeast Colorado Springs, is the fastest growing university in Colorado and one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The university offers 25 bachelor’s degrees, 17 master’s and two doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls more than 7,400 students annually.