Scope and Contents: The Dole Scrapbook Collection, which spans the years 1955 to 2009, is comprised of numerous scrapbooks gifted to Senator Dole that document his many personal and political achievements. Several handmade scrapbooks from the mid-1960s to mid-1970s record the grassroots beginnings of Senator Dole’s Congressional and Senatorial careers through collections of local and national newspaper clippings and photographs. Other scrapbooks given as gifts from Dole’s staff depict a humorous side to American politics through caricatures of figureheads including Presidents Reagan and H. W. Bush, Senator Strom Thurmond, and Dole himself. In addition, several scrapbooks commemorate particular events during Dole’s career, including the Ford/Dole 1976 Presidential Campaign, President Reagan’s second Inauguration, the B-2 Stealth Bomber “Spirit of Kansas” naming ceremony, and Dole’s last day in the Senate on June 11, 1996.
A selection of scrapbooks included in the collection depicts international trips made by Senator Dole, including visits to South Vietnam, China, Taiwan, and the Middle East. In particular, a set of scrapbooks portrays Dole’s 1971 trip to Bien-Hoa POW camp in South Vietnam and a matching series of photograph albums, gifted to Dole from the Taiwanese government, depict 1985 and 1998 trips to Taiwan. Two photograph albums from Castel D'Aiano, Italy, portray Senator Dole’s 1996 trip to Italy, including a return to the site in the Apennine Mountains where he was wounded during World War II.
The collection also includes a number of handmade scrapbooks gifted to Senator Dole by constituents over the course of his career. The Williams postcard album, gifted to Senator Dole on his 63rd birthday, contains an eclectic compilation of Kansas-themed post cards. Other scrapbooks gifted to Dole commemorate various political milestones of his career and Word War II remembrance and anniversary ceremonies.
In addition to political scrapbooks, the collection also includes scrapbooks and albums pertaining to Senator Dole’s personal life. Noteworthy items include the Doles’ 1975 wedding album and a scrapbook gifted by neighbors and businesses to the Doles’ on their return to the Watergate apartments in 1997.
Formats found within the scrapbooks include photographs, news clippings, correspondence, pamphlets and programs, invitations, and pins and buttons.
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