Katina tsongas

LOWELL — On a rainy morning 20 years ago today, Paul Tsongas stood before hundreds of drenched supporters at Boarding House Park to announce he was running for the presidency because he was worried the country was shirking its responsibility to future Americans. His language was just as direct when he spoke about the environmental issues confronting the country.

Bush, the man he was running to replace, for their failure to protect the environment. His focus on providing for future generations showed he was focused on improving the country, not just saying things to get elected, she said. She was caught up celebrating the moment and looking for her friends in the crowd. But in recent years, she says she has enjoyed looking back at his speech and focusing on his pioneering calls for strong action on economic and environmental issues.

She works for Ceres, a Boston organization that helps companies and investors address sustainability issues. Many of the people who had known Tsongas from his times as a Lowell city councilor, state representative and U. It is what I am. And you, my neighbors and friends, are what I am as well.

Katina is the senior advisor to Ceres' CEO and President.

He would hear none of it and settled for a local park with mill buildings as the backdrop. Longtime Lowell city councilor Dick Howe, one of the speakers who took to the podium to introduce Tsongas, said taking part in the event was a privilege he still cherishes. I always felt he put the interests of the country above everything else.

Tsongas went on to win the New Hampshire primary and competitively challenge Bill Clinton, the eventual winner of the Democratic nomination and the presidency. Tsongas died in from pneumonia and liver failure following a bout with cancer. She hopes his words will once again resonate with Americans in the years to come.