What an honor to know that Sen. Kennedy joined MCC in recognizing the Paul Sullivan Leadership Institute!

I am sure that the students who met him will feel fortunate to have had that opportunity.

Sen. Kennedy was always one of the first people to contact my husband Paul when word of one of his many surgeries would hit the airwaves. He called on several occassions and wrote notes on others. Paul held those written notes as badges of honor and showed them to his many visitors throughout his illness.

During Paul's last program on June 25, 2007 Sen. Kennedy called into the program to congratulate him on his many years of service in the media and to wish him well. During the live interchange, one of the Senator's dogs started barking...Paul asked..."who's that?" and when Kennedy tried to explain it was one of the dog's, Paul, in his usual quick wit answered..."oh, it sounded like *** Cheney".

And on the day Paul passed, I got a call on my cell phone from Sen. Ted Kennedy with his warm condolences. He was a special man and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will forever miss him.

I regret this loss at the time of our national debate on health insurance. He leaves a void that cannot be filled. But I am grateful for all that he did.

And I am glad that the public recognition of his accomplishments and of his extreme humanity that I am seeing is occurring.

Parenthetically, I only met Paul Sullivan once, as a brief guest on his Lowell radio show when it was broadcast from the City campus. His warm heart and incisive humor were both obvious. After that, I was a fan of his, as were so many, and I am glad about the recognition that has been accorded to him as well.

I've always found it truly inspirational that a man who was rich enough to sit on a yacht his whole life and carelessly spend his millions on himself, instead devoted his prodigious energies over a long lifetime to helping average people like you and me.

I remember the event where we met Senator Kennedy vividly. The speech he gave was truly amazing. It was a great  honor to have had the chance to meet Senator Kennedy.

In 2006, Professor Donna Duffy and I attended a Learn and Serve conference in Washington DC where the key note speaker was Senator Kennedy.It was an inpirational speech and an especially exciting experience to see such an icon of public service. Senator Kennedy truly understood the importance and value of service in all of our lives.

The  conference attendees from Massachusetts  requested a photo with him. We knew he was busy and  were not sure he would have time. While waiting for the picture to be set up,he asked each of where we were from and made a personal comment about each of our campuses.For MCC,Senator Kennedy mentioned how important MCC has been to the City of Lowell and the region.  I agree with Jill Keller,it was an impressive life long choice he made to serve others.

I was honored to be at WBZ two years ago to cover Paul's last broadcast for the Sun and remember well his quick quip to the Senator when the dog barked. It was a great moment and one I'll always remember as I recall two great men..

I also remember the Senator visiting the Sun newsroom and making the rounds, talking to all of the reporters there, joking and very amiable.

He also took time to have a photo taken with my daughter Wendy when she was in Washington, D.C. in 1988 as part of Washington Workshop, a government training program for recent  high school graduates. As has been noted many times as tributes for him  pour in, the Senator took time to talk with her and then, a couple of weeks later, the photo arrived in the mail, signed  with his best wishes.

He was a distinguished statesman, the patriarch of a legendary family, but always found time for the everyday citizens he represented so well.

May he rest in peace,

Nancye Tuttle

Senator Kennedy hired students from Mass Maritime every summer to work on his and a close friend's sailboats.  My brother Bill was one of those lucky students.  We all know how important summer jobs are to college students, but for some it is the difference between going to college and not going to college.  The job made a difference for Bill.  During the interview, my brother mentioned that he'd need to find a place to live during the summer and so the Senator offered him a place to live (free of course).  Not only did he provide a job but had him live at his home too.  That is the kind of man he was....he understood the plight of everyday people and was sincerely kind hearted.