February 22, 2018

Elms College to host evening with author Gerard Doherty, Kennedy adviser

REGIONAL
Staff report

(IObserve photos/courtesy of Elms College)

CHICOPEE – In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, College of Our Lady of the Elms will host an evening with Gerard F. Doherty, author of They Were My Friends – Jack, Bob & Ted: My Life In and Out of Politics, at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15, in the college’s Veritas Auditorium.

The discussion will be moderated by Wayne E. Phaneuf, executive editor of The Springfield Republican. This event, one of a series of events around the region during the week of St. Patrick’s Day, is free and open to the public.

Author Gerard F. Doherty

Doherty, an attorney, was a trusted political adviser to President Kennedy, Sen. Robert Kennedy, Sen. Edward Kennedy, President Johnson, and President Carter. The husband of the late Marilyn Doherty, who was a 1953 alumna of the college, Doherty served as chair of the Elms College board of trustees from 1988 to 1995.

They Were My Friends offers a rare, firsthand account of the behind-the-scenes work that led to some of the most influential moments of the Kennedy brothers’ political lives – and how the son of a Boston firefighter became the only man with a seat at the table with all three Kennedy brothers. The book takes​ ​the​ ​reader​ ​through​ ​the history​ ​of​ ​Massachusetts​ ​politics​ ​and​ ​the​ ​golden​ ​age​ ​of​ ​the Kennedy​ ​political​ ​dynasty.​​

Doherty’s clever​ ​voice weaves​ ​the story of his​ ​unlikely​ ​rise​ ​to​ ​the​ ​top​ ​of​ ​Massachusetts​ ​political leadership​ ​and​ ​how​ ​he​ ​became​ ​the​ ​man​ ​behind​ ​the​ ​Kennedy political​ ​machine​ ​at​ ​key​ ​moments​ ​in​ ​history. He​ ​also​ ​shares​ ​accounts​ ​of​ ​his​ ​work​ ​helping​ ​Presidents Carter​ ​and​ ​Johnson​ ​win​ ​the​ ​White House.

​For more information about this event, contact Barbara Mulcahy at 413-265-2448.