During the dedication of the Ted Williams Tunnel in Boston, then-Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell of Maine teased both Massachusetts senators for claiming full credit for convincing Washington to make the project possible. Nobody laughed louder than Sen. Ted Kennedy.
Kennedy particularly enjoyed hearing Mitchell’s recounting of the endless pestering he received and the assertion that the tunnel was wrongly named. Kennedy’s enjoyment was steeped in the understanding that it takes many people and multiple actions to achieve results. He also understood that politics is about being both a workhorse and show horse. While Kennedy was a singular, iconic figure and an extension of his famous brothers, he became a great senator because he always did the most homework, stuck to his values, played well with others while always remaining practical.
I knew Kennedy peripherally over the last 28 years. Every conversation was brief, fun and made a lasting impression. Mostly we talked about his friend and my former boss, Sen. Claiborne Pell. In recent years, he told me about his yearly sailing trips to see Pell. He always marveled about Pell’s loyalty as a colleague and friend, which extended to his family ranging from his brother the president to his son the congressman.
We talked about promoting education and my plea that he owed me a commission because I recommended his dog Splash’s children’s book to so many friends. Once, I suggested Gifford’s Moose Tracks ice cream to him and after assuring him that it would blend nicely with his favorite butter brickle, he promised to try it.
Meeting him for the first time as a college student campaign worker during the 1980 Iowa presidential caucus felt very natural but remarkable in that he seemed so smart, prominent and at the same time accessible. The last time I saw him, at Arthur Schlesinger’s memorial service, we just nodded at each other but it felt like a conversation.
While people reminisce about his booming personality, big laugh and the fact he was a Kennedy, it was his ability to reflect while never being reactionary that made a difference in our lives. He also knew that collective action and common ground could always be gained and every obstacle was an opportunity.
Maine has lost a great friend and New England a powerful advocate for education, jobs and health care. In the coming days, people will speculate about his replacement in the Senate or in his own family, but this seminal figure cannot be replaced. His life work and legislative success was predicated on being practical, passionate and political to help all people. During the last campaign, the torch was not passed to just one person but an entire new generation who desperately need to work together now more than ever to overcome these hard times.
Lee Umphrey is vice president of Math for America. He previously was a spokesperson for Gov. John Baldacci and the government affairs specialist for the city of Bangor.