[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 365 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 365
Honoring the life of Kevin Hagan White, the Mayor of Boston,
Massachusetts from 1968 to 1984.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 1, 2012
Mr. Kerry (for himself and Mr. Brown of Massachusetts) submitted the
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring the life of Kevin Hagan White, the Mayor of Boston,
Massachusetts from 1968 to 1984.
Whereas Kevin White was born in Boston on September 25, 1929;
Whereas his father, Joseph C. White, a legislator of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts; his maternal grandfather, Henry E. Hagan; and his father-
in-law, William Galvin; each served as presidents of the Boston City
Council;
Whereas Kevin White earned a bachelor's degree from Williams College in 1952, a
law degree from Boston College in 1955, and also studied at the Harvard
Graduate School of Public Administration, now the John F. Kennedy School
of Government;
Whereas in 1956, Kevin White married Kathryn Galvin;
Whereas in 1960, at the age of 31, Kevin White was elected Secretary of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts and was reelected 3 times, serving until
1967;
Whereas in January 1968, Kevin White became the 51st Mayor of the City of
Boston, Massachusetts;
Whereas within months after taking office as Mayor of Boston, Kevin White was
instrumental in helping guide the City of Boston after the assassination
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.;
Whereas on April 5, 1968, Mayor White asked that the James Brown concert at the
Boston Garden be televised rather than be cancelled, as many suggested;
Whereas during the concert, Mayor White addressed the citizens to plead for calm
and said, ``Twenty four hours ago Dr. King died for all of us, black and
white, that we may live together in harmony without violence, and in
peace. I'm here to ask for your help and to ask you to stay with me as
your mayor, and to make Dr. King's dream a reality in Boston. No matter
what any other community might do, we in Boston will honor Dr. King in
peace.'';
Whereas during his time as Mayor of Boston, Kevin White undertook a program of
urban revitalization of the downtown areas of Boston that forever
transformed Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market;
Whereas during his time as Mayor, Kevin White brought the residents of each
neighborhood of Boston, from Mattapan to Charlestown, from South Boston
to Brighton, from East Boston to West Roxbury, together through programs
like Summerthing, Little City Halls, and jobs for at-risk youth;
Whereas in 1974, Judge W. Arthur Garrity Jr. of the United States District Court
for the District of Massachusetts ordered Boston to begin busing
children to integrate its schools;
Whereas during a difficult period of racial tension for the City of Boston,
Mayor White urged the people of Boston to remember their common
identity;
Whereas from 1984 to 2002, Kevin White was the director of the Institute for
Political Communication at Boston University;
Whereas Mayor White valiantly fought against Alzheimer's disease after his
diagnosis in 2003 and despite this debilitating challenge, he never
stopped being an example of strength for the City of Boston and his
family;
Whereas Kevin White is survived by his wife, Kathryn; a brother, Terrence, who
managed his early campaigns; his sons, Mark and Chris; his daughters,
Caitlin, Beth, and Patricia; his 7 grandchildren; and his sister,
Maureen Mercier;
Whereas the most famous campaign slogan coined Kevin White, ``A loner in love
with the city''; and
Whereas the irony of the slogan is that Kevin White was never lonely and that
the people of Boston who he loved so much, loved him back: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) the Senate--
(A) recognizes that Kevin White forever enriched
the Boston political landscape and forged a new path
for the City of Boston;
(B) pays tribute to the work by Kevin White to
improve the lives of the residents of the City of
Boston; and
(C) requests the Secretary of the Senate to prepare
an official copy of this resolution for presentation to
the family of Kevin White; and
(2) when the Senate adjourns today, it stand adjourned as a
mark of respect to the memory of former Boston Mayor Kevin
Hagan White.
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