Interesting Places I've Photographed
Edward P. Boland Memorial
Springfield, MA
Topic: Sculptures of Springfield
GPS: N42° 06.158; W072° 35.406
Quick Description:
The Edward P. Boland
Memorial is located on the corner of Main and Harrison Streets in downtown
Springfield, MA
Long Description:
The Edward P. Boland Memorial has statue of the congressman set in front of a
title tablet. On either side of the statue a pair of plaques inscribed with his
biography and accomplishments.
The bronze statue is a life size image of Edward P. Boland wearing a business
suit and tie. He is standing with his arms folded across his chest. Behind him
is a vertical granite tablet with a bronze plaque inscribed EDWARD P.
BOLAND, the image of the Seal of the United States Congress, and the years
1911 - 2001.
Two vertical granite tablets with bronze plaques flank the statue. The left
plaque is inscribed:
Born on Essex Street in the north end of
Springfield on October 1, 1911, the youngest of
four Irish immigrant
parents Michael and
Joanna Boland, Eddie Boland lived his early
years in
the Hungry hill section of Springfield and
attended the city's public
schools, graduating from
Springfield Central High School in 1928.
In
1934, at the age of 23, he was elected to the
Massachusetts House of
Representatives where he
served for three successive terms. In 1940, he was
elected to a six year term as Registrar of deeds for
Hampden County and
was re-elected in 1946. In
May 1942, shortly after America's entry into
World
War II, he took military leave and enlisted as a
private in the
U.S. Army. he spent 18 months in
the South Pacific and was honorably
discharged in
1946 with the rank of Captain. In 1952, he was
elected to
the United States Congress from the
second Massachusetts district and was
re-elected
for 17 consecutive terms.
He retired in 1988 after
fifty-four years of public
service. In retirement he continued to live
in
Springfield with his wife Mary Egan Boland and
their four children
until his death on November 4,
2001. His public career is a testament to the
belief
that a public office is a public trust - that the office
belongs
not to the holder, but to the people, and
that every person who enters its
doors should be
treated with respect and dignity.
The right plaque is inscribed:
Throughout his career Eddie Boland
was a
champion of democratic ideals and the belief that
government should
be an active positive force in
people's lives. His thirty-six years in the
United
States Congress were marked by compassion for
the least among us
and an unwavering belief in
the right of every person, regardless of
background, to equality of opportunity. he was a
strong supporter of the
civil rights movement and
in 1965 journeyed to Selma, Alabama to
march
alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. in a powerful
demonstration of
their shared goals.
As a long time member of the House
Appropriations
Committee, he led efforts to
provide funds to revitalize America's
cities,
expand housing opportunities for the poor, the
elderly and the
disabled, improve the quality of
the air we breathe and the water we drink
and
redeem the nation's pledge to care for its veterans
and their
families. In 1958, he co-sponsored
legislation to establish the Cape Cod
National
Seashore, expanding the governments efforts to
protect land for
public use. A zealous advocate of
America's Space program, he was a champion
of
NASA's efforts to explore the universe.
Among his colleagues his
name was
synonymous with integrity. In 1977 he was
appointed the first
chairman of the House
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and
was
author of the Boland Amendment designed to
prevent the United States from
engaging secretly
in activities in Central America, which were
inconsistent with publicly stated policies. His
career spanned 54 years
of devotion to the public
service and to ideals which are the source
of
America's greatness.
