Memories of Working with Senator Kennedy

I came to the Senate in 1971, right out of college, working for myriad committees as their “Official Reporter” - the person who creates the official verbatim record for their hearings and executive sessions.  So over years of working for the Judiciary Committee and especially the HELP Committee that he chaired for so long, I had a front seat – actually closer than the front seat – to maybe hundreds of meetings where Ted Kennedy either presided, questioned as a member or even appeared as a witness.  He was a HUGE presence, as the talking heads are all saying, and I won’t go near his accomplishments or legacy.  I just offer some personal memories, the ones that come to mind today as we’re absorbing the inevitable loss of a great senator.

The Brother. My earliest memories are from the early ’70s, not really that long after his brothers were assassinated, after all.  In crowded elevators he always seemed – at least to me – nervous.  And once when he appeared as a witness before a committee that was assembled around a conference table, he was instructed to sit next to yours truly and seemed really  uncomfortable about it.  Despite my harmless appearance and committee staffers telling him I was “okay”.   I felt so sad for him.

The Chairman. He was the best chairman I ever saw in action because he got things done while being friendly and respectful to everyone, even the famous bastards.  One famous bully I watched him interact with was Tom Delay, toward whom he showed amazing civility and warmth.  Unfortunately, some of the bullies chair their own committees, and what a difference they make. I’m glad I’m not working there anymore, overall.

The Cigar-smoker. Oh, those were the bad old days – the ’70s and even the ’80s when there were NO smoking regulations in the workplace.  Then even after most workplaces had gone smoke-free, Congress maintained its lovefest with Big Tobacco, and committee rooms were still smoke-filled.  My absolute worst memory of that era – of a work assignment that brought me so close to puking as to bring back a mild sense of revulsion even today at the memory of it – is of Kennedy arriving at another small committee room for a closed-door business meeting and passing out cigars to everyone there.  Which cigars were all duly lit.

The Dog-lover. For years, Kennedy’s Portuguese water dog had the run of the place (rules be damned; who’s going to say  no to Chairman Kennedy?)  Even in the middle of a hearing – in a BIG, public hearing room – Kennedy’s beloved would run around freely, stopping to sniff me and everyone else, and generally living the good life.  That is, until he bit someone.  (Hope the one he gave the Obamas is better mannered!)

The Bad Dresser. The last memory I have of Senator Kennedy is almost intimate, it’s so up-close-and-personal.  We were all crammed into yet another small room for another conference committee (where a handful of Senators and Reps meet to hammer out the differences in the bills they passed in their respective bodies).  I was jammed between Kennedy and some staffers, holding my breath and trying to function just inches from the Chairman, where I got a very close look at his suit, and what a sorry sight it was.  This man of privilege I’ve been hearing about all morning on MSNBC was wearing the most frayed and darned old clothes I’d ever seen on a fully employed person.  No kidding – you could see the very amateurish stiching-up of some tears in his suit coat.  He clearly didn’t care (man after my own heart on that score, even though in my income bracket it’s less of a surprise).

That’s all.  It’s not as though he ever shared his lunch with me, but just watching such a masterful, compassionate and personable leader in action and making such a difference in the world was a great privilege.