The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas is pleased to announce a new exhibit, Voices from the Big First, 1961-1968, which will debut in the Elizabeth Dole Gallery and Reading Room on February 11, 2021, and will remain open through fall of 2021. In conjunction with the exhibit, a series of afternoon programs on related topics will be live-streamed to the institute’s YouTube channel. Senator Pat Roberts, who worked with Senator Dole in the 1960s, will be a featured guest for one of these programs. 

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Upcoming Events › Exhibit Voices from the Big First

February 2021

Exhibit Preview Event – Congressman Dole’s Kansas

February 9 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm CST

What was on Kansans’ minds in the 1960s? Join Director of Museum and Archives Audrey Coleman and Dole Archives Curatorial Fellow Virgil Dean for a conversation commemorating the debut of the Dole Institute’s latest original exhibit, “Voices from the Big First, 1961-1968”, based on constituent letters Bob Dole received as a Congressman during his time in the U.S. House of Representatives. This program is the first installment of a multi-part series presented in conjunction with the exhibit “Voices from the…

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March 2021

Exhibit Series Part 2 – Rural Leadership in Agriculture & Community

March 9 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm CST

In this second installment in a four-part series inspired by the exhibit “Voices from the Big First,” Frances Graves, Wildcat District Director and Community Vitality Agent, K-State Research and Extension, and Trista Brown, COO Cattle Empire, from their own experience as ranchers and community leaders, discuss issues in agriculture and rural communities in Kansas today, including pandemic-era challenges, environmental resource management, and sustainability. Submit your questions for Graves and Brown to dolequestions@ku.edu for the question-and-answer portion of the program. This…

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April 2021

Exhibit Series Part 3 – Black Enterprise in the 60s: Policies that Shaped It, Kansans Who Built It

April 22 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm CDT

Who were influential Black business leaders in Kansas during the 1960s? What challenges did they face? What impact did they make? Dr. Robert E. Weems, Jr. will discuss these Wichita-based leaders in the context of the policies and politics of mid-century U.S. presidential administrations regarding Black business development and the civil rights movement. This program is part 3 in a series presented in conjunction with the exhibit Voices from the Big First, 1961-1968, made possible by Humanities Kansas. Dr. Weems…

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May 2021

Exhibit Series Part 4 – Representing the Big First

May 11 @ 3:00 pm CDT

The fourth and final installment of the afternoon series inspired by the Voices from the Big First, 1961-1968 exhibit on Tuesday, May 11 at 3 p.m. on the institute’s YouTube channel, will feature former U.S. Senator Pat Roberts and will be moderated by Dole Institute Associate Director and Director of Museum and Archives Audrey Coleman. “Senator Roberts is a long-time friend of Senator Dole and of the institute,” said Director Bill Lacy. “We are always happy when he can join…

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To provide more context on Congress and the decade, the Dole Institute is also proud to host The Great Society Congress virtual interactive experience in conjunction with Voices from the Big First. Produced by the Association of Centers for the Studies of Congress, the feature showcases documents from partner repositories across the country.

This exhibit and associated programs examine where Kansas has been and where it’s going to complement Humanities Kansas initiative: Crossroads: Change in Rural America, a partnership between Humanities Kansas and the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program. Funding for the exhibit and related programs was provided by Humanities Kansas. Humanities Kansas is a nonprofit cultural organization that connects communities with history, traditions, and ideas to strengthen civic life.