I have a policy at the I-R — if we have only enough space in an edition of the newspaper for Letters from Readers or an editorial I’ve written, the advantage almost always goes to the reader letters. That’s why you’re just now reading my thoughts on the passing of Bob Dole. As an employee of the Salina Journal, I first met Sen. Dole in the 1970s, when I moved to Kansas from Indiana. I remember calling my father, who was a huge fan, with the news. Later I would cover Sen. Dole’s three bids for the presidency and many other issues important to his constituents.

Following his death, a favorite description of Sen. Dole came from presidential historian Jon Meacham: “His is the most American of stories. Bob Dole really did embody sacrifice ... At the end of the day he kept his eye on the common good, not personal gain.”

The senator, a Republican, believed in the purpose and power of politics to do good. He showed it time and again through the programs he helped push through the U.S. Senate. His long resume includes his role in saving Social Security, his leadership on the Americans with Disabilities Act and his support — against the wishes of his party — of both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

His support of the latter programs came at the request of Leroy Tombs of Bonner Springs, a prominent Wyandotte County businessman and Black civic leader.

According to a long-time aide, this was Dole’s response to his friend “Leroy, I don’t know how you feel about it, but I’m embarrassed that you would need a voters’ rights bill.”

Closer to home, a former Dole constituent can hardly drive more than a few miles without being reminded of the late senator. In a letter to the editor that appeared several weeks ago on this page, retired Judge Ron Svaty remembered Dole’s support of the Ellsworth-based Post Rock Rural Water District. The senator also stepped in when it appeared the town was about to lose Cashco, one of its major employers.

The Post Rock work was especially significant. As Svaty pointed out, Sen. Dole wanted to support his hometown and the farmers who needed water. And he wasn’t above working with a Democrat to get the job done. The late Adolph Vopat, an Ellsworth County farmer who was active in local and state Democratic politics, was one of the district’s early organizers. During a brief interview with the Senator years ago at the Salina Airport, we asked him whether the concerns of Vopat and others over the time it was taking to get the district going were justified. Dole immediately turned to one of his assistants and ordered him to investigate.

We like to think when Bob Dole looked out over the state he represented, he didn’t see Republicans and Democrats, he saw Kansans, many of whom needed his help at one time or another.

Sen. Dole died earlier this month at age 98. His body was returned to Kansas for ceremonies in Topeka and his hometown of Russell. His remains were buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

As the tributes poured in, it was hard not to compare Sen. Dole to today’s crop of politicians, too many of whom seem to put a few minutes of fame on national television and personal power over the common good of Kansas and the country.

You have to wonder how their resumes will compare to Sen. Dole’s. Perhaps they don’t care. The same should not be said of the voters who elect them to represent us.

LMD

It was almost as if 2021 couldn’t end without one final effort at upstaging the year before. At least that seemed to be the case in Kansas and other states that saw their landscapes torched by wildfires, tornadoes and other disasters.

In our part of the state, the Four County Fire spread across tens of thousands of acres in Rooks, Ellis, Osborne and Russell counties. Livestock died, crops suffered, homes were destroyed. Two people lost their lives.

Ellsworth County wasn’t hit nearly as hard; however, there was damage to buildings. And at least one rancher ended up in the hospital with serious injuries as he attempted to help others.

We included the following numbers in the Dec. 23 edition of the Independent-Reporter, but we repeat them for anyone else interested in reaching out to a neighbor.

The Ellsworth County Farm Bureau Association Board has established a Farmers and Ranchers Relief Fund at Citizens State Bank to assist with losses and injuries. Donations will benefit Ellsworth County farmers and ranchers first, and then, if funds allow, the association plans to reach out to neighbors affected by the Four County Fire. Farm Bureau membership is not required to receive funds. For more information, call Ellsworth County Farm Bureau, (785) 472-8914.

The Midway Extension office at Ellsworth, (785) 472-4442, also is accepting telephone calls from those in need of help or those who wish to donate.