Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the passing of a true community builder, the unofficial ``Mayor of MIT,'' Mr. Paul Parravano. Paul was compelled to work ``so tell me about yourself'' into every single conversation he had, and he meant it, so let me tell you a little bit about him. Paul Parravano joined MIT's Office of Government and Community Affairs in 1990. He touched countless students, faculty, community leaders, and elected officials in his 33 years of service. He was committed to the full inclusion of disabled people in every aspect of life. He served as a board member of the National Braille Press, just one of his many contributions to the empowerment and upliftment of the broader disability community. A Braille champion, his advocacy improved access to financial information for the blind across the United States. His contributions earned him the Cambridge NAACP's Lifetime Achievement Award and the Cambridge Community Center's Reverend Nichols Founder's Award, and he was the inaugural recipient of the MIT Staff Award for Distinction in Service--all well deserved. His legacy was really forged in the intimate moments he shared so freely with any and everyone he met and how generously he shared his hard-fought wisdom. He showed us how to lead with compassion, and although he was blind, Paul saw people. He saw the infinite possibilities within people and in our world more than any person I have ever known. Mr.…”