Mark_Zinni's Blog

The passing of former Senator Claiborne Pell continues to be a big story in Rhode Island.  I never met Sen. Pell (who has been out of the Senate for years) but I was at one of his only public appearances in recent years.  I covered a visit by the Dalai Lama in Newport in 2005 and Sen. Pell attended the event at Salve Regina University.

Now, how about a little humor?

Well, the day Sen. Pell and the Dalai Lama appeared in Newport, I was trying desperately to get close to the Dalai Lama for an interview.  He was walking right towards me after his speech and that's when I put out my microphone and before I could finish my sentence, the Dalai Lama reached out and put his hand on my face.  It was a bizarre moment where I was - truthfully - left speechless.  I managed to ask something (but I don't recall exactly what it was) and he was nice, but throughout the entire back-and-forth, the Dalai Lama never took his hand off my face.  When we were done, he smiled and called me a nice man before walking away... Something I'll never forget. (By the way, I still have that raw interview tape in my desk!)

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) -- Former six-term Rhode Island Senator Claiborne Pell has died after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease. He was 90. Pell's death at about 12:05 a.m. yesterday at his Newport home was confirmed by his former assistant, Jan Demers. The Rhode Island Democrat is best known for the grant program in his name that has helped millions attended college. Pell said he considered it his greatest achievement.