On the recordJanuary 25, 1994
I witnessed a tremendous tribute to Speaker O'Neill at his memorial service in North Cambridge. Joe Moakley told stories that made everyone watching understand why theirs was a friendship that stood the test of decades in the House. Tip's son, Tommy, delivered a powerful eulogy that evoked the human side of Tip: a great father, a great politician, and as a great friend of ordinary working men and women. I first met Tip O'Neill in 1979. I was a staff assistant for a young Congressman from my district, Jim Shannon. Jim Shannon had been elected to the Congress at the age of 26. He came to Washington, as Tip O'Neill's protege. In fact, he had written his thesis on Tip O'Neill. Jim went over to the Speaker's office to ask him about his committee assignment, and Tip O'Neill asked him what he would like. He said, 'I would like a seat on the Ways and Means Committee.' He was a 27-year-old freshman. Tip said, 'We'll see what we can do.' Tip was retired by the time I was elected to Congress, but that did not stop him from teaching me a thing or two about Congress and public service.
