The Senator
I met Senator Bob Dole in his law office in July of 2016. At 93 he was welcoming, witty and irascible. In his book, “One Soldier’s Story,” he writes lovingly about his hometown in Russell, Kansas, an era in rural America largely gone by. Young Mr. Dole enlisted in the U.S. Army and deployed to the hills of Northern Italy as an infantry officer where he was severely wounded within days of his arrival. The years of his recovery were extremely difficult. He was told he would never walk again. Through his strength of will, Dole became a Congressman, Senator, Speaker of the House, Presidential candidate, and proponent of the WWII Memorial in Washington DC. For the photo session, I asked Senator Dole to swivel in his chair to look out the window into the soft summer light. He asked me what he should think about. I said, “Think about Russell, Kansas.”
