Bob Dole has always said he wanted the Dole Institute of Politics to tell a story of public service — and not to be solely about him.

On Tuesday, as the former longtime senator took center stage to deliver his first lecture at the institute, he said he hoped his new book outlining his World War II experiences would carry a similar message.

“It’s about me, but it’s not about me,” Dole said of his book. “It’s about my generation.”

About 1,000 people gathered at the Kansas University institute — 450 inside, 550 more outside in tents with big-screen televisions — to hear Dole give the second annual Dole Lecture. The stop was part of Dole’s national tour to promote his new book, “One Soldier’s Story,” which was released earlier this month.

The book chronicles Dole’s two years at Kansas University, enlistment in the Army, the attack in Italy that left him without the use of his right arm and the recovery process that followed.

“I wanted to write a book that I hope might be an inspiration to people with serious disabilities,” the 81-year-old said. “Everyone in this audience has had tragedies, or they have had difficulties in their life or they’ve had bumps in their life. Success and failure are not polar opposites.”

Dole said he was reminded of his experiences as a wounded soldier when he suffered a fall in his Washington apartment in January. He spent 41 days in the hospital and had hip replacement surgery.

“The fact they had to feed me again was almost like World War II,” he said. “I couldn’t raise this (left) arm, people had to feed me and take me to the bathroom and some of those humiliating things that happen. But they’re necessary.”

After the war, Dole went to law school at Washburn University and served two years in the Kansas House, eight years as Russell County Attorney, eight years in the U.S. House and 28 years in the U.S. Senate. He lost a presidential bid in 1996 against Bill Clinton.

The annual Dole Lecture is one of the major annual events scheduled by the institute, which was dedicated in July 2003. The first Dole Lecture brought former President Clinton to campus in May 2004.

The institute also houses Dole’s personal and political papers, including the letters he used to write “One Soldier’s Story.”

Positive response

Dole’s 15-minute lecture, which was followed by a half-hour question-and-answer session, was well-received by Joseph Matejicka, an 85-year-old Lenexa resident. Matejicka served in the same platoon as Dole and has his photograph included in the new book, which he recently read.

“It was well-written,” Matejicka said. “He’s somebody who knows what he’s talking about. So often people write articles and don’t know what they’re talking about. You have to experience it.”

Jim Gill of Lawrence, also a World War II veteran, said he was struck by how humble Dole has remained despite his successes.

“There are millions of World War II veterans with a story to tell, but Bob Dole has as interesting a story as any one of us,” he said. “We’ve got to be proud, proud, proud that he’s from Kansas.”

In addition to the speech, the event included live music and picnic food, though outdoor post-lecture events were dampened by sprinkles and a blustery temperatures in the 50s.

Audio clips of Bob Dole’s speech On dealing with adversity On his recent health issues On his hopes for his book Dole returns to speak Dole Institute anticipates crowd for today’s lecture (04-26-05) Bob Dole recounts his story as soldier (04-10-05) More about the Dole Institute of Politics

After the lecture, Dole spent more than two hours signing hundreds of books. His sharp wit and encyclopedic memory were evident as he met people one by one to sign their books.

A sampling:

“Hi, Dixie, how are you?”

“How old are you? Fourteen? Oh, getting up there.”

“They still got that good buffet out there?”

And to a Dole Institute archive volunteer: “If you find any incriminating evidence, well, burn it.”

Among those who got his book signed was Kamp Wiebe, an 11-year-old Lawrence resident wearing three Dole buttons.

“It’s cool how he was in World War II and came back to run for president and be senator,” Kamp said. “I think he should have won president.”