[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 127 (Monday, September 16, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S10615]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                            THE ELIOT LOUNGE

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I rise today to offer a tribute to 
one of Boston's most celebrated local institutions--which is soon to be 
no more--and to the man who has done so much to make that place the 
very special corner of town that it is.
  To running enthusiasts across the Nation, the Eliot Lounge is well 
known as the unofficial headquarters of the Boston Marathon--a 
congenial watering hole where the world's elite runners rub elbows, and 
perhaps down a beer or two, with weekend joggers and others even less 
athletically inclined. But anyone who has ever dropped by the corner of 
Massachusetts and Commonwealth Avenues knows that the Eliot is far more 
than just a runner's tavern.
  The Eliot is a gathering place, and a welcoming haven, for men and 
women from all different backgrounds and walks of life: stockbrokers 
and steam fitters, journalists and office clerks, teachers and police 
officers and even the occasional politician have all found a warm 
welcome there. It is a place where old-fashioned hospitality and 
camaraderie still endure, a place where strangers become old friends 
with just a few easy words--a neighborhood bar, it's been said, for 
people who don't necessarily live in the neighborhood.
  For the better part of two decades now, the camaraderie and good 
fellowship of the Eliot Lounge have been personified by one man: Tommy 
Leonard. From his post behind the bar, T.L. has dispensed wit and 
wisdom to all corners--always brimming with enthusiasm and good cheer, 
and always eager to help the first-time visitor to Boston learn all the 
extraordinary charms of our most extraordinary city.
  As devoted distance runner and founder of the renowned Falmouth Road 
Race, it was Mr. Leonard who first introduced the running community to 
the charms of the Eliot Lounge. But even more important, it is Tommy 
Leonard who embodies the tremendous generosity of spirit that has long 
characterized the special place.
  Just as he proudly served his country years ago in the U.S. Marine 
Corps, Mr. Leonard continues to serve the people of Boston in countless 
different ways. Over the years T.L. has organized charity drives for 
scores of worthy causes; whether money was needed to replace a beloved 
children's statue stolen from the Boston Public Garden, to set up a 
scholarship fund for the children of a slain police officer, or to meet 
the medical bills of a badly injured former marathon star, Mr. Leonard 
has always been at the forefront of those looking to help.
  Tommy Leonard is the first to point out that he has not been alone in 
these endeavors. Indeed, the entire staff of the Eliot Lounge deserves 
tremendous credit for their years of charitable work--as does Eddie 
Doyle, another legendary Boston publican who is Mr. Leonard's frequent 
partner in good deeds.
  But over the years it has been Tommy Leonard who has, time and again, 
provided the inspiration and the energy needed to get the job done: to 
turn well-intentioned wishes into concrete deeds. To prove that the 
volunteer spirit is still alive and well in America today. To harness 
the generosity and good will of an entire community and, together, to 
make a real difference in the lives of others.
  Some who know him say that if Tommy Leonard had only devoted his 
boundless energy and his promotional genius to making money for 
himself, he would be a rich man today. But, Mr. President, others who 
know him--myself included--look at the joy that he has brought to so 
many others, and we know that Tommy Leonard is already wealthy in the 
ways that really matter.
  But now, Mr. President, after all these years, there will soon be no 
more Eliot Lounge for Tommy Leonard to call home. The congenial little 
tavern that has seen so many famous faces and so much good cheer will 
be closing its doors by the end of this month.
  Before that happens, Mr. President, I want to take this opportunity 
to salute Tommy Leonard, and his colleagues on the staff of the Eliot 
Lounge, for all the generosity they have shown and all the good works 
they have so cheerfully performed over the years. I applaud them, I 
wish them Godspeed, and I also remind them:
  As T.L. so often observes, ``It's a Wonderful Life.'' And it is even 
more so, T.L. and colleagues, because of all that you have 
done.

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