A former political ally of Sen. Bob Dole and a former political rival are scheduled to be at Kansas University this summer for the dedication of the Dole Institute of Politics.

Gerald Ford, who secured the 1976 Republican nomination for president with Dole as a running mate, and George McGovern, the 1972 Democratic presidential nominee, have sent letters indicating they’ll be at the dedication July 20-22.

Dole Institute officials say Ford and McGovern are the first in a slate of politicians and celebrities who are likely to commit to the summer dedication.

They’ve invited President Bush; actor Tom Hanks, an advocate for World War II issues after starring in “Saving Private Ryan” and co-producing “Band of Brothers”; and NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw, who also is author of “The Greatest Generation.”

The dedication festivities will include a World War II veterans reunion, air show, World War II encampment re-enactors, a fashion show, a dance with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and a military band concert. It will culminate with the dedication of the Dole Institute building, which is under construction on KU’s West Campus.

Ford became the 38th president in 1974 when Richard Nixon resigned amid the Watergate scandal. Ford selected Dole as his running mate in 1976, and the pair lost to Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale. Ford now lives in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Dole and McGovern first worked together on hunger issues in Congress in the early 1970s. They have been friends since.

McGovern spent 22 years in Congress, ending in 1981. He has since served as a United Nations delegate to the General Assembly, a visiting professor at several universities and the first U.N. global ambassador on hunger.

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“In his letter accepting Senator Dole’s invitation, Senator McGovern said there was almost nothing we wouldn’t do for Bob Dole — except vote Republican,” said Richard Norton Smith, the Dole Institute’s director. “Clearly Dole’s not the only former senator around here with a sense of humor.”

Both Ford and McGovern are World War II veterans. McGovern flew 35 combat missions as a B-24 bomber pilot in Europe. He inspired Stephen Am-brose’s best-selling 2001 book, “The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany.”

Ford was in the U.S. Naval Reserve, serving on the USS Monterey, which took part in South Pacific operations.