Former Massachusetts House Speaker David M. Bartley of Holyoke died Tuesday. He was 88 years old. Bartley served in the state House of Representatives in the 1960s and '70s, including six years as speaker.
Bartley's son, Holyoke City Councilor David Bartley, said Holyoke Community College is a lasting testament to his father's collaborative thought and planning.
"They purchased the acreage, they designed and built a community college that architecturally stands up to today's standards and it’s been a marvelous gem for western Mass.,” his son said. “All that was done in six years’ time.”
Bartley later served as president of HCC for almost 30 years.
The college’s current president, Christina Royal, in a letter to the school community, said Bartley’s tenure as president were “marked by growth, innovation, and a deep sense of community."
“HCC would not be the gem it is today without former president Bartley,” Royal wrote. “How fortunate we are to have been beneficiaries of his leadership and generosity.”
As House Speaker, Bartley is credited with helping to get Holyoke's Henry J. Fitzpatrick Skating Rink included in a state plan to build out hockey facilities across the commonwealth.
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, said Bartley’s life “epitomized what it meant to be a public servant and was a true champion for the City of Holyoke."
Neal said Bartley’s public service stretched all the way back to the late speaker’s days as a teacher at Forest Park Junior High School in Springfield.
“Dave’s approach to legislating provided a valuable lesson for those in public life; while he was firm in his beliefs, he understood that legislation is what truly changes lives and knew just how to get the votes needed to pass that legislation,” Neal said in a statement.
Neal also credited Bartley with authoring special education legislation, which guaranteed a free public education for students with disabilities.
Current state Rep. Smitty Pignatelli of Lenox said, on Twitter, that he enjoyed meeting with Bartley over lunch in the Berkshire and hearing stories “from the old days at the State House."
The beginning of Bartley’s time a House speaker coincided with the final years as Senate president for Maurice Donahue, another Holyoke politician. It was a rare time in the last several decades when the western part of Massachusetts wielded a great deal of influence on Beacon Hill.
In fact, Bartley is the last House speaker from the area.
Bartley is survived by his sons, David and Myles, a daughter, Susan, and wife, Bette.
