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I guess if you are not at this time a fan of Elizabeth Dole, you may not be fascinated by stories form her early childhood. However, I have been a fan of Elizabeth for some time and unfortunately the books I am using are arranged in chronological order. On page 6, for instance there's a photo of a four year old child dressed in a ruffly, little white dress with a little bow on her head. The caption next to the photo says, "Liddy Hanford spent a happy childhood in Salisbury, North Carolina. This particular book goes on to say, that as a child she presided over a bird club, and a book club. Also that she lost the election for high school government president in senior year. Not a job for the weaker sex, at that time.
Elizabeth Alexander Hanford was christened on Easter Sunday, 1937. Margaret Mitchell's book, Gone With the Wind, which her mother read between church and community activities, had just been published. Apparently, she was always an industrious type. She obtained excellent grades and won the prize in an essay writing competition offered annually by the Daughters of the Confederacy. Her classmates voted her "Most Likely to Succeed", and would often remark that Elizabeth would one day be a First Lady or... a President.
Following in her brother's footsteps, she attended Duke University. In a different time, later; and a different place, more enlightened; she succeeded, winning the election for student government president. She was named to the National Honor Society, as well as, Leader of the Year, at Duke. A fellow student noted, "Through Miss Hanford's direction and imagination, the entire university... has been left with many long term improvements".
At this point both of my printed sources board the topic, "Elizabeth's Travel's". Here's one president that will not manufacture a mission to "see the world!" Many other elected officials, who never left home are eager to foment some sort of completely unnecessary, even counterproductive, mission. They see the world with a gigantic retinue, at rather elevated costs to the tax payers.
Elizabeth traveled extensively immediately after graduating from high school. She studied at Oxford for a year. Traveling through Europe, she visited Rome, Paris, the Swiss Alps, Germany, even the Soviet Union. Recently, as Red Cross President, the phrase "Elizabeth's Travels", has acquired new meaning. As you have probably read in countless press releases, Mrs. Dole traveled the planet to assess damages and the need for services. As you see any candidate would be a higher risk in this respect.
Unfortunately, we have wondered off our original outline. A chronological order as the books in my possession is not what I planned. Instead, I would like to enumerate the many qualities that made Elizabeth Dole the #1 Candidate for president in 2000.
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Is this the concensus of the Republican Party? "Speaking as a Republican, I want my party to let more people in," said the former U.S. senator and presidential candidate. "We don't have to agree with everybody. We ought to have diversity, not conformity. That's what America is all about.” Sen. Bob Dole
