We lost three great men yesterday, who, in their own way, made their marks on their country and community and tried to make the world a better place.
The first was James Brady, who was Ronald Reagan’s Press Secretary paralyzed from the waste down by the bullets shot from the deranged John Hinckley. He became one of the leading activists and faces of the gun control movement, lending his name to the Brady Campaign as well as the Brady Bill which restricted hand gun purchases and for a time, restricted Assault Weapons purchases as well. He was active in this cause right through the recent tragedies in Newtown and Tucson. He also favored mental health treatment and restorative justice for offenders. From The Times obit:
Mr. Brady — who said he did not remember much about the day he was shot — said over the years that he had remained concerned that guns were still available to people with mental problems like Mr. Hinckley.
“He scares me,” Mr. Brady told CBS News in 2006, “because he doesn’t have 52 cards in his deck. He didn’t the day that he shot at us. He got six rounds off and hit four of us.”
But when Mr. Brady was asked if he was bitter toward Mr. Hinckley, he said, “Well, it’s not classy to be bitter, and I try to be classy.”
More locally, in my hometown of Cambridge, we lost two longtime local officials. The first was Peter Vellucci, a former State Representative from East Cambridge and the son of colorful former Mayor Alfred Vellucci. My sister was good friends with Peter’s children and classmates of theirs at CRLS, and their dedication to the working people of Cambridge was legendary. Information on the funeral arrangements is available on the Globe obit.
Lastly, Walter J. Sullivan passed away at the age of 91. Walter served as a Cambridge City Councilor from 1960-1993. He was also elected by his peers to the Mayoralty of my fair city for several terms during that period. He coined the famous phrase ‘you show me you’re four, I’ll show you my five’ referring to Mayoral vote counts. He also had legendary constituent services, a close relationship with Tip O’Neil, and was the kind of guy who appeared at every wake, attended neighborhood christenings, and was active in his community. His brother, Edward Sullivan, was the longtime Clerk of Courts for Middlesex County, and his son Michael is the current incumbent of that office and my preferred candidate for Middlesex District Attorney. My only interactions with Walter included his remarks at my brothers 1991 class graduation (which I do not remember, as I was 3 at the time), along with seeing his beeming face and that of his wife at his son’s inauguration as Mayor in 2003 and 2005. The wore matching morning coats and tails. A classy politician that was decidedly old school, while also responding to all the different communities of Cambridge with the utmost care and affection. Prayers and thoughts are with Michael and his family at this time. It is difficult to lose a father under any circumstances, and certainly more difficult in the heat of a very competitive campaign.
Robert Winters, a longtime observer of Cambridge politics, will be posting more detailed reflections at his website, and I found a very comprehensive Crimson article from 1986 on the Sullivan legacy, that focuses extensively on Walter’s contribution.
I tried last night but my bad feelings toward Reagan kept getting in the way.
I worked for Peter Vellucci for several years in his agency, and got to meet Mayor Al too. I handled the accounts for Portugalia and the Warren Street Pals, so I got to meet LOTS of interesting people!
I remember the bar he had in the basement where the ‘Uccis’ would play cards – Vellucci, Ballucci, Cellucci, DeNucci, and so on. And his stories on how he came to file the Bottle Bill were great.
I’m sorry to hear of his passing and will send my condolences to his family.
And it sounds like you have some great tales too!
…as a result of his 1981 wounds, thus sayeth the medical examiner.