In summer, the slam of the screen door announced visitors before they called out the name of who they came to see. It was always special company when it was Uncle Ed.

The following is excerpted from an oral history interview done with Edward W. Brooke by Linsey Lee of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum in August of 2007. Mr. Brooke was on the Vineyard promoting his autobiography Bridging the Divide: My Life.

The death of former U.S. Sen. Edward W. Brooke comes as a personal loss for me. I had the distinct honor of working for Senator Brooke in Washington, D.C., both as a summer intern in 1970, and for two years following my graduation from college.

Think of the infinite spaces between the past and present, the present and the future. If we took a breath, slowed down, we would enjoy “the music of the spheres” in our daily living.

Dear Governor Baker: throw away the Massachusetts Health Connector website and start all over again.