The former mayor of Springfield and longtime friend of President Joe Biden said he is not surprised his former classmate finally made it to the White House.
Bob Markel has known Biden for more than 60 years — all the way back to their days as high school freshmen in Delaware.
“This was especially meaningful ceremony for me,” Markel said. “I almost have to pinch myself to say, ‘Is this really happening?”
The old friend provided pictures of the two together over the years and said Biden was a gregarious, outgoing teenager who long showed his aptitude for politics.
“The old joke was that if Joe Biden were standing next to a light pole he’d strike up a conversation and not surprisingly he became president of our class,” Markel said.
He recalled a young Joe Biden spending the majority of a summer on year locked in his bedroom trying to overcome a severe stutter.
“He came back to classes in September of that year and he did not stutter. We were astonished,” Markel said. “Clearly I think, having had that history, he appreciates people with disabilities.”
Markel also served as a Massachusetts elector for Biden.
“It was a very special and meaningful moment to cast an electoral vote in the house chamber,” he said.
Markel credits Biden’s long years in the Senate for teaching him to reach across the aisle and work with Republicans.
“And so I think if there is a chance for any president, given the divisions in this country and the political divisions in Congress, to get things done, he’s going to be the guy to do it,” he said.
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