POSSIBLE 2000 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ELIZABETH DOLE TO SPEAK AT ERSKINE COLLEGE COMMENCEMENT MAY 15

The Erskine College senior class of 1999 has announced that Elizabeth Dole, a possible 2000 presidential candidate, former president of the American Red Cross, and named by a Gallup Poll as one of the world's 10 most admired women, will deliver the commencement address during graduation ceremonies at the college May 15.

Erskine Senior Class President Scott Mitchell of Rosebud, Ala., said, “The members of the senior class strongly believe that Mrs. Dole's unparalleled character, patriotism, community involvement and Christian commitment make her an outstanding role model for tomorrow's future – the students of today.”

Mitchell said he learned of Dole's ties to Erskine College when he was a freshman.

“One of my dear friends, the late Rev. Harold Pearson of Loango, Ala., sent me a copy of a letter Mrs. Dole had sent to him. Rev. Pearson was so proud of that letter.”

The letter made reference to an uncle of Dole's, the late Vernon Cathey of Salisbury, N.C., a member of the Erskine class of 1929. Cathey was active at Erskine, a member of the football team, the Euphemian Literary Society and the Dramatics Club.

“After receiving that letter, I knew that if I did become senior class president, I would definitely try to get Mrs. Dole to be our commencement speaker,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell added that it would be a special honor to have Dole on campus on the 70th anniversary of her uncle's graduation from Erskine.

Erskine announced that it will move commencement to May 15 to accommodate Dole's schedule. Originally scheduled Sunday, May 16, graduation will be held under the towers of the Erskine Building on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. after baccalaureate services at the Due West Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church at 10 a.m.

Dole graduated with distinction from Duke University in 1958 and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She is also a 1965 graduate of Harvard Law School and also holds a master's degree in education and government from Harvard.

Following graduate school, she accepted a position with the HEW, where she prepared a conference on education for the deaf. She began practicing law as a public defender in Washington, DC, in 1967. Her professionalism was quickly noticed, and she was named to the Federal Trade Commission in 1973.

Elizabeth Hanford married Senator Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole in 1975. Sen. Dole was the Republican nominee for president in 1996.

Elizabeth Dole has proudly served five United States Presidents, including Cabinet positions for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. In 1983, she was appointed America's first female Secretary of Transportation. President Bush made her the nation's 20th Secretary of Labor in January 1989.

During Dole's four-and-one-half years at the Department of Transportation, the United States enjoyed the safest period to date in all three major transportation areas – rail, air, and highway. She led the civilian government in the initiation of random drug testing and the national effort to raise the drinking age to 21. Dole also managed the sale of CONRAIL, the government-owned freight railroad. The sale represented the flagship of privatization, which returned $2 billion to the U.S. Treasury.

As Secretary of Labor in President Bush's cabinet, Dole worked to increase safety and health in the workplace, advocated upgrading the skills of the American work force, and moved for improved relations between labor and management. Numerous initiatives to benefit at-risk youth became her top priority – one she pursued at the American Red Cross, by establishing in honor of her mother, The Mary Cathey Hanford Fund. The Fund provides scholarships through the Elizabeth Hanford Dole Red Cross Chapter in Salisbury.

While President of the American Red Cross she received numerous awards for her humanitarian efforts and leadership among women. She directed more than 30,700 paid and 1.3 million volunteer staff. Demonstrating her appreciation for volunteers, Dole herself became a volunteer by donating her first year's salary.

Dole's awards are numerous, ranging from honors for civic service and leadership in government to accolades for her charitable commitments and dedication to issues surrounding women in the workplace. In 1998, she received the Humanitarian Award from the National Commission Against Drunk Driving, and in 1991 she was honored with the prestigious North Carolina Award from Governor James Martin. In 1993, Women Executives in State Government honored Dole with its Lifetime Achievement Award. That same year, Dole was selected for induction into the Safety and Health Hall of Fame International for her numerous transportation workplace, and blood safety accomplishments.

She also received the North Carolina Press Association's first "North Carolinian of the Year" Award and the Radcliffe College Medal for her outstanding accomplishments. Dole was honored by the League of Women Voters as the recipient of the Leadership Award in 1994, and in 1995 she received the Raoul Wallenberg Award for Humanitarian Service. She has received honorary doctorate degrees from 33 colleges and universities, including Johns Hopkins University, Smith College, Dartmouth College, and the College of William and Mary.

Erskine will also honor Dole with an honorary degree at the May 15 commencement.

Recently, Dole has been named one of the 10 Most Fascinating People of 1996 by the Barbara Walters Special, the Most Inspiring Political Figure of 1996 by MSNBC and one of the Top Newsmakers of 1996 by Newsweek. In 1997, Dole was honored by Glamour magazine as a Woman of the Year and by Redbook as a recipient of the "Solutions for Tomorrow" award for her work as president of the Red Cross. In the January 1998 issue of Good Housekeeping, Dole was named as one of the 10 Most Admired Women, her third appearance in the magazine's Top 10.

Erskine College was founded in 1839 and has been dedicated to Christian Commitment and Excellence in Learning for almost 160 years.