There are a million different ways to describe Former Boston Mayor and Co-Director of Boston University’s Initiative on Cities Thomas Menino’s influence on the City of Boston, yet none of them fully capture the scope of his legacy. And while the effects of his work as mayor can still be seen everywhere one looks, we here at The Daily Free Press think his character and love for his city will have the greatest impact on Boston.
Menino, 71, died from advanced causes of cancer around 9 a.m. Thursday morning, leaving the city he adored in a shadow of grief.
He arrived at BU after capping off a legendary 20-year tenure as mayor of Boston to spearhead the Initiative on Cities, a project that sought to lend resources and insight to cities around the world. While running this program, Menino presided over a highly successful Boston Marathon Symposium that gathered city leaders to evaluate Boston’s reaction to the tragedy. Had Menino had more time, who knows what he might have achieved.
And then there was his impact on BU’s students. It speaks volumes of his involvement in the community that so many of BU’s students were able to post pictures of themselves with Menino, who had only been employed by the university since February, while few of us have even seen BU President Robert Brown. While his time at BU was cut short, Menino kept a vital presence on the campus, inviting students to his 75 Bay State Road office for weekly “Coffee and Conversation” meetings as well as the “Pizza and Politics” series.
“I want to use the knowledge I have to help other people grow in our world, and that’s why I chose education,” Menino said in a February interview with The Daily Free Press. “It goes back to my philosophy about government — it’s about helping people, helping young people have a great start in life, finding the right path of what they want to do. Giving them practical, real-life experience is what it’s all about, not the textbook.”
But Menino’s time at BU does not even compare to the 20 years he devoted to the city of Boston as its mayor.
What would Boston be without Menino? When he showed up to City Hall, Boston was a shadow of the hub it is today. Menino sought to accomplish as many goals as possible as mayor in all fields. Under his leadership, the capital cut its crime rate in half, created South Boston’s “Innovation District,” transformed Boston Public Schools into a world-class system and left the city with about $200 million dollars in reserve.
And while these innovations have certainly left a strong impression on the city, it is Menino’s constant presence that Bostonians will remember the most. Whether he was caught cutting the ribbons on a brand new building or showing up at a Little League baseball game, everyone had a chance to shake the mayor’s hand. Menino ran for reelection time and time again, but it wasn’t because he was hungry for power. Menino returned to City Hall each term because he loved Boston, and Bostonians returned that love tenfold.
And who could forget his valiance when the Boston Marathon Bombing of 2013 rocked the city to its core? Menino, who was in the hospital when the bombs went off at the finish line, checked himself out against doctors’ orders to perform his duties as mayor. He provided comfort and solace to Boston when he himself needed care.
Everyone will have his or her own way of remembering Tom Menino, but the common thread winding through each personal recollection will be his heart. The city of Boston was lucky to have that heart pulsing through its streets for 20 years, and BU is even more fortunate to have been able to call Menino our own for the short time he spent on Bay State Road.
“What makes Boston University a special place is the same thing that makes Boston a great city – it’s the people,” Menino said at his Initiative on Cities Boston Marathon Symposium in March. “This city feels like a family because it is filled with smart, dedicated people who care deeply about what happens in our streets during the good times and the bad times.”
Menino couldn’t have described himself better.
