assachusetts Governor Paul Cellucci is a VIP in Philadelphia this week, but Tony Cellucci is the indispensable one. The governor's distant cousin, a Philadelphia native, is the convention director for AT&T, which means he's responsible for making sure every Internet connection and telephone call - cellular or land line - goes through as planned.
It's a big job: AT&T has installed 10,000 telephone lines, constructed 24 cell sites, provided 600 wireless phones for the convention staff, and boosted cellular capacity to 10 million more calls than Philadelphia usually has.
Keeping it running smoothly - as a small city's worth of delegates, politicians, and journalists gab away - has made Tony Cellucci a busy man. That gives him little time to hobnob with his governor relative. (Paul Cellucci's father was a first cousin of Tony Cellucci's grandfather.)
In fact, the Celluccis' one meeting this week was a fluke: They ran into each other at the Ritz. But it's always nice to see another Cellucci, Tony Cellucci said. ''There aren't many of us around.'' (Globe Staff)
On lapels of delegates, a plea for missing teen
Massachusetts delegates have spent the better part of the week collecting political buttons, most of them quirky or patriotic. But one button the delegates wore last night was serious: a picture of Molly Bish, the 16-year-old from Warren who disappeared from her lifeguard job June 27.
Bish's parents spearheaded the button drive in an effort to broaden the search for their daughter and to promote national programs that search for missing children.
They contacted the office of state House minority leader Fran Marini, who forwarded the buttons to delegation leaders, said Jeffrey Wilmot, an aide to Marini. (Globe Staff)
Gore at work fine-tuning speech, flipping burgers
FIGURE EIGHT ISLAND, N.C. - Vice President Al Gore has kept his vacation activities private this week, sequestered on a private island with a guard at the entrance. Yesterday, however, he walked along the beach and spoke with reporters.
The vice president said he has not watched the Republican convention, but he planned to listen to Bush's speech last night. His own convention speech is coming along ''slowly but surely,'' Gore said. ''I've been working on it several hours each day.''
Other than working on the speech and relaxing on the beach, the vice president has been cooking - with ''power burgers'' his specialty.
''Can't you tell? I've lost weight,'' his wife, Tipper Gore, quipped. ''That's because he's been cooking.'' (Globe Staff)
