Vellucci, who worked as a labor organizerbefore entering elective politics, is proud of hisabrasive style, which he says Harvard studentswould do well to emulate.
"I don't see anyone walking out in support ofthe people that are negotiating with Harvard,"says the mayor, pounding on the table foremphasis. "I would refuse to eat. I would havestood up, and I would have started banging disheslike they do in prison."
The Popsicle Business
Twenty years ago, he says, things weredifferent. Harvard's ROTC program and who struckto shut down Harvard were "always jolly and fullof fun." And what does Vellucci say happened tothose students? "Well, they went into the popsiclebusiness."
"There was one time when Harvard was full ofhumor. Now they're frozen icicles," says Vellucci."Something happened--I don't know if it was thepollution in the air or whether it was the changein the atmosphere--but something has happened toHarvard faculty and students. They don't smileanymore. They're like frozen popsicles."
Perhaps Vellucci's sense of humor explains hispopularity for the past 38 years. AlthoughHarvard-bashing has always been a popular sport,the flair Vellucci has brought to his contestswith Presidents Nathan M. Pusey '28 and Derek C.Bok has never been duplicated.
He says he has also carried a grudge againstoutgoing Radcliffe President Matina S. Horner fora while--in fact, for the past 17 years.
"She's terrible," says Vellucci. "She wassupposed to play ping-pong with me and she neverdid."
"I played the Harvard team over there ping-pongbefore she became president," he elaborates."Whoever won that team was supposed to play with[former Radcliffe President Mary I.] Bunting. AndI won. And Bunting went out that week, and thislady came in. And I was supposed to play her atping-pong, because Bunting wasn't there. And I sawher many times, and I reminded her, and shethought it was nice to play ping-pong, but shenever picked up the phone and called me to playping-pong."
But some of Vellucci's contests with theUniversity have had far more serious overtones. In1976, Vellucci initiated a council inquiry intoHarvard's construction of a new laboratory forexperiments with recombinant DNA, touching off atown-gown battle that focused national attentionon Cambridge.
At times Vellucci's concerns seemed never toveer from the strictly local--"They're not goingto pay a damn cent in taxes on that building," hetold The Crimson. Nonetheless, Cambridge wound upsetting a nationwide precedent when it organized acommittee to regulate all recombinant DNAresearch.
No matter how infuriating he can be, Velluccialways retains his compassion for the city's poorand disadvantaged--a unique combination that haskept him in office for the past 38 years.
"People send me flowers," Vellucci points out."I bet they never send Bok any flowers. Theyprobably send him black daggers.