WEDNESDAY,JUNE 18,2003
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 11
DOLE INSTITUTE
Institute dedication to honor vets
Event to feature air parade famous guest speakers and vintage fashion show
By Jennifer Wellington
jwellington@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
A Memory Tent, a 1940s fashion show, a re-created USO-style performance. World War II sculptures and an air parade are just some of the activities planned for the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics dedication next month.
Bill Howell, assistant dedication coordinator, said 50,000 to 100,000 people were expected to attend the three-day dedication and planners had created an abundance of events for all tastes and interests.
"The events give people choices and alternatives with what they want to see during the dedication," Howell said.
More than 50 World War II veterans will speak in an air-conditioned "Memory Tent" in front of the Lied Center throughout the weekend in July.
"It was important to Senator Dole to invite veterans to the dedication at the expense of the Dole Institute," Howell said.
Four Medal of Honor recipients will recount their experiences during the war in the tent. Twelve other medal holders will be in attendance. Marine veterans who helped develop a secret code based on the Navajo language will speak along with members of the Doolittle Raiders, Tuskegee Airmen, and the Women Air Force Service Pilots.
On the other side of campus, more than 20 World War II planes will fly over Memorial Stadium and the Campanile on July 21.
“It's important to note that the stadium honors veterans from the first World War," Howell said. "And the Campanile recognizes World War II veterans."
Howell said the air parade was a way to recognize the men and women who flew during the wars and the importance of air combat. The planes will be available for viewing at the Lawrence Municipal Airport as early as July 20.
Inside the Dole Institute, miniature replicas of sculptures crafted by Lawrence artist Jim Brothers will feature five-star general Oar Bradley, former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and soldiers on the beaches in Normandy, France.
Events for the dedication also include a fashion show featuring the 1940s clothing style of both men and women, an evening of dancing to the Glenn Miller Orchestra and an outdoor band concert by the 312th Army Band.
While the dedication committee expects a large number of veterans in attendance during the weekend, it wants people of all ages to take part in the activities as well, Howell said.
"Our message is simple: Don't forget. This generation, as Tom Brokaw put it in his book, is the greatest generation," Howell said. "We want the youth to know about the sacrifices they made."
Dedication events will start at 7 p.m., July 19, in the Memory Tent.
— Edited by Saju Ng'alla
NATION
All women's college to change 132-year-old constitutional tradition
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — Students at Smith College, a 132-year-old women's college, are lowering the gender barrier ever so slightly.
The student body voted at the end of the semester to replace the pronouns "she" and "her" with "the student" in the student constitution to cover people who are transgendered — a term that refers to cross-dressers, hermaphrodites and transsexuals, or those who have surgically changed their sex.
Smith does not keep track of the number of transgendered students that are on campus.
But as far as the administration knows, the gender barrier at the college has not been broken yet by a woman changed into a man.
Half of Smith's 2,600 students voted, and the measure passed by 50 votes.
The Associated Press