John W. Olver: “Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life and work of Congressman Edward Boland, who represented the Second…”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life and work of Congressman Edward Boland, who represented the Second Congressional District of Massachusetts for nearly 4 decades. Let me start by giving my deepest sympathy to Mary Boland and the Boland children for their loss of a husband and a father. I first met Congressman Eddie Boland in 1968. He had already served more than 15 years and was a force in the Congress. I, by contrast, was making my first run for political office as a Massachusetts State representative in a district that partly overlapped Eddie Boland's Second Congressional District. My first and most lasting impression of Ed Boland was his booming voice. He was speaking at an event in Granby, and I was certain that he could be heard all of the way to South Hadley. Over time I learned that Congressman Ed Boland was not just heard, but attention was paid when he spoke. He was heard all the way down the hall to the Senate. He was heard by Presidents at the White House. He was even heard at the Pentagon.”