Mayor Selects Committee To Honor Constitution

The Cambridge City Council last Sunday approved the establishment of a committee which will organize a celebration in honor of the 200th anniversary of the United States Constitution.

The committee, to be comprised of prominent Cambridge residents including President Bok and Radcliffe president Matina S. Horner, is mandated to prepare and execute an "educational and enjoyable" celebration on September 17, the exact date of the Constitution's anniversary. How they will do that its not clear.

City Mayor Walter J. Sullivan said that Cambridge should not let the anniversary go by without an official acknowledgement. "The country itself is interested in observing the anniversary and that interest continues down to the city level."

It is essential to reemphasize the significance of the Constitution, Sullivan said. "It's one of the most important pieces of paper in the history of this country," said the Mayor.

Sullivan prepared the resolution for final approval and personally selected the committee from key community residents.

Although Sullivan claimed to have chosen the committee off the top of his head, David F. Noonan, the Mayor's executive assistant, said Sullivan made his choices carefully.

"He selected a cross-section of the city. He also wanted a cross-section in terms of expertise. The mayor also found people who knew how to get a message across," said Noonan.

The message, according to Noonan, is the constant relevance of the constitution. "It's important for people to know their rights and responsibilities," said Noonan. "The document can be alive if we want it to do something."

Member of the committee will include the presidents from all Cambridge universities and colleges and prominent Cambridge residents, Sullivan said.

The committee will also include the Honorable Ruth Abrahms, a Massachusetts Supreme Court justice; Graham Gund, a key developer in the city; Eliot Spauldino, former editor of the Cambridge Chronicle and William Sullivan, the mayor's son.

The group has not yet set an official date for its first meeting, but Walter Sullivan said he hoped it would be within three weeks.