Adam Tamburin's Graduate Portfolio

Old South Meeting House: A monument to free speech in downtown Boston

Filed on March 23, 2011 by Adam Tamburin

When elementary school children fill the Old South Meeting House with their chatter during fieldtrips, they become the latest in a centuries-long line of Americans who have raised their voices in the historic building.

Samuel Adams helped to plan the Tea Party from its pulpit in 1773. More than 200 years later, in 1991, David Duke, a white supremacist, spoke from the same perch, as peals of protest echoed against the walls. Gay activists gathered there on May 17, 2004, to celebrate the Supreme Judicial Court ruling that extended marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples in Massachusetts, some of them proposing on the spot, according to staffers.

Linked together by freedom of speech, these Americans gathered at Old South, hungry to be heard by the throngs that often gathered inside.

Allston fire lieutenant has chased fires for 23 years

Filed on Feb. 23 by Adam Tamburin

When a call came into the Union Square Fire Station last Sunday afternoon, Fire Lt. Dwaine Daye sprang into action with the focused intensity of an old pro.

Pulling a thick black firefighter’s suit over his 6-foot-4-inch frame, he was the calm in the middle of a storm of what he called “orchestrated chaos.” Other firefighters scuttled around him, jumping into trucks and wishing each other well, yelling so as to be heard over the blaring fire alarm.

He brings a methodical approach to situations most would call terrifying. He’s earned a firehouse nickname that matches his youthful charisma: Dark Gable.

As Engine 41 sailed through Allston, making hairpin turns on Cambridge and North Harvard Streets, Daye was unfazed, meticulously monitoring a computer screen next to the driver, trying to get a sense of what dangers loomed ahead for his crew. When they arrived on the scene, Daye strapped on an oxygen tank, shoved a helmet on top of his wiry, unkempt hair, and led the charge into the building.

Debaters spar over corporate spending in politics

Filed Nov. 11, 2010 by Adam Tamburin

Two panels of experts and students sparred over the role of corporate money in political campaigns during a debate last night, with each side portraying the alternative as a victory for corrosive political interests.

The panels were assembled for The Great Debate, an annual endeavor sponsored by Boston University’s College of Communication. Organizers said this year’s debate brought 193 people, many of them students, to the Tsai Performance Center.

This year’s topic emerged from the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in January, which struck down laws preventing corporations from donating to political campaigns.

Nov. 2 inspires ennui for some in Massachusetts

Filed Oct. 29. 2010 by Adam Tamburin

Six days before the election of Massachusetts’ next governor, 46-year-old nurse Carolyn Dever shrugged before saying she remained undecided.

“I think [Gov. Deval Patrick’s] done a pretty good job, but maybe we need a change,” Dever said, later stressing her desire for politics at a faster pace. “I want to see more action.”

As Election Day inches closer, polls reflect Dever’s ennui. Democratic incumbent Patrick holds a slim statistical lead over Republican challenger Charlie Baker. Neither candidate has managed a sizeable lead throughout the campaign. Independent Tim Cahill and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are a distant third and fourth.

Obama stumps for Patrick as Election Day draws near

Filed Oct. 17, 2010 by Adam Tamburin

President Barack Obama yesterday urged Massachusetts voters to reelect Gov. Deval Patrick, whom he called “one of the best governors this state has seen.”

Obama has stumped for candidates nationwide in an attempt to stem the groundswell of disillusionment plaguing Democrats in the run up to midterm elections. During a rally at Boston’s Hynes Convention Center, he sought to give Patrick’s reelection bid a needed boost. Polls indicate Patrick and his Republican challenger Charlie Baker are locked in a statistical tie two weeks before Election Day.

Obama said Patrick stood out from the parade of rhetoric he has encountered on the campaign trail.

“When Deval speaks, I listen,” he said, later adding, “He continues to inspire me as a leader.”