When I arrived in Washington in 1980, to work for then Metromedia owned WASH-fm, my news director sent me up to Capitol Hill to pick up my credentials and to cover a meeting of the District Committee at the House. Having grown up in DC, I knew the best place to park was on the Senate side near the Dirksen Building, so I settled my Plymouth Horizon into a space. I then made my way to the little subway that connects the SOB to the Capitol. You could ride them in those days…just hop on and shuttle along often right next to Senators from Ohio, Maryland, and on that day, from Massachusetts.

Oh, “back in the day,” radio reporting wasn’t the “glam” business…I was lugging a huge Motorola walkie talkie, a Shure sm58 microphone, a 20 foot cord, a 50 foot cord, various adapters, mike clamps, pencils, pens and pads. It was all packed into a beige hard side Samsonite attaché case my Dad had carried. It was part of the first set of matching luggage my parents bought when my Dad had to go to Japan for the then US Information Agency back in the 50’s. But anyhow, lemme tell ya, nothing ruins the cut of a “Mary Tyler Moore suit” like a 15 pound Motorola cassette recorder.

So there I was briefcase in hand and monster recorder slung over my shoulder at the little subway stop. A little bell rang and we all looked up to see the little open subway car approach. The little sliding doors opened and a gaggle of folks disembarked. I turned sideways and standing next to me, ready to get into my little car was none other than the Senator from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy. He had the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen.

I stepped back to let the Senator board. While we both had jobs to do, I figured the subway was really for the Senator and his aides, not me, so it’d be a good idea to let them go first. He motioned for me to get on.

As I turned to maneuver that briefcase thru the door, my recorder slipped off my shoulder and I had to jerk my arm up so it wouldn’t wack the floor. But I didn’t have to worry…someone grabbed it. It was Senator Kennedy. “Let me get that.” He pulled the recorder off my shoulder, we took our seats, the little departure bell rang, and we were off on the short rumbling trip to the Hill.

I wish I could say our brief conversation was heady and filled with wisdom and political “scoopery” but it wasn’t. “This is heavy.” “Yes, it is.” “Looks like a good one.” “When it works.” “So who are you with?” “WASH-fm.” “Oh, ‘Wash with the stars’ I listen to you all the time.” “Cool.”

“Cool?!” This was Senator Ted Kennedy, one of the “rock stars” of American politics, a bonafide Kennedy! “Cool?!”

We pull into the Capitol station, disembark, and the Senator hands me back the recorder.  “Thanks.” “You have a good day.” “You too.” He smiled, “From your mouth to God’s ear,” and he winked and went on his way.

Since then, so much has happened, so much history. Some good, some bad. Much of that history was made by that Senator with the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen.

Whether one agreed with him or not, there is no question that Senator Ted Kennedy, who could have done so many other more lucrative jobs, who could have chosen any number of paths to take, was a sharp politician and a good statesman.

While controversy surrounded him both politically and personally throughout his life, neither ever dissuaded him from the role he took as his life’s work: that of dedicated public servant.

He did a good job. Ya hear that, God? He did a good job.