Capitol - Kansas Walk of Honor
The Kansas Walk of Honor is located on the sidewalks on the Kansas State Capitol grounds. Begun by Governor Sam Brownback in 2011, the Walk features people who have contributed on a state and national level and have significant connections to Kansas.
Senator Bob Dole is the first person to be honored on the Walk.
Governor Sam Brownback made these remarks at the unveiling.
It’s hard to measure the height of a tree while it is standing, yet in Bob Dole we know we have a giant.
Born of the prairie, toughened by its climate and made generous by its people, Bob Dole’s life is the story of the Greatest Generation. He is its iconic figure and at age 87, he’s still going and giving. Self-sacrifice is the mantra of that generation.
It’s hard to say what America would look like without Bob Dole. The longest serving Majority Leader ever of the United States Senate. A great pioneer of the art of the possible, a recent headline read, “Where’s Bob Dole when you need him?” This is reference to the inability of the current Washington leadership to do the possible, not just wait for the next election.
And after all his years in public life, with many an arrow shot his way, he remains soft at heart. I have seen him on many occasions fight back tears as he talks about people close to his heart. One of my mentors once said he appreciated most the people who deal from the heart. Bob Dole deals from the heart!
In years to come, fourth grade students will walk by this plaque and ask the question, “Who’s Bob Dole?” The tour guide will respond, “He’s a great Kansan who believed in America. He was almost President of the United States. He bled on the battle field in World War II and went on to be a leader in the U.S. Senate. He was voted by historians one of the five most important Kansans in our history.” And if I’m within earshot, I’ll add, “He’s what most Kansans would call a good man.” And that’s saying a lot.
Welcome Bob, to your place in history. I believe when your days on this earth are done, the good Lord, who has blessed you so much, will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Up to three bronze plaques may be added each year to the Walk. The Kansas Historical Foundation, a 501(c)(3), will serve as the caretakers of funds for the Kansas Walk of Honor. People can donate to this fund. The Historical Foundation, which supports the Kansas Historical Society, a state agency, will establish the Walk fund so that people can offer donations to cover the cost of plaques. The cost for each plaque is $2,000 including shipping.
