Building dedicated to governor who worked a 'Miracle'

(Jon Chase for The Boston Globe)

Governor Dukakis and his wife, Kitty, surveyed the pool at the aquatic facility this morning.

By Ryan Kost, Globe Staff

Exactly 20 years ago, Governor Michael S. Dukakis was at the peak of his political career, running for president. But time marches on. And today he found himself attending a ceremony in Southborough in which a building was named after him.

Dukakis said he was honored, but also a little nervous. “When they start naming buildings after you, you know you’re on your way out," he quipped.

The New England Center for Children, a Southborough-based school for children with autism, Asperger's syndrome, and pervasive development disorder held the ceremony this morning to officially dedicate the Michael S. Dukakis Aquatic Center. It was the first building in the state to be named after the governor, who was a political powerhouse in the state in the 1970s and 1980s.

Dukakis, his wife, Kitty, Senator John Kerry, Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray, and 200 friends and supporters attended the early-morning event. As co-chairman of the center’s steering committee, Dukakis helped raise the $5.5 million to build the facility.

By chance, Dukakis said, the dedication happened to fall on his 45th wedding anniversary. “I can’t think of a better way for us to celebrate.”

Dukakis served three terms as governor and ran as the 1988 Democratic nominee for president while touting a high-tech boom that had been dubbed the "Massachusetts Miracle." During the speeches, more than one person hinted this probably wouldn’t be the last edifice to be named after Dukakis.

But after the meeting Dukakis declined to guess which sort of building might be next.

“That’s not important to me," he said.

• Comment
• Permalink
• Email