The Life And Times Of Senator Arlen Specter

October 21, 2012 3:51 AM

(2006 file photo. Credit: Alex Wong/ Getty Images)

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By Special Contributor Larry Kane

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A week ago, Arlen Specter died at the age of 82.

Pat Meehan is now a Congressman. Before he was a DA and US attorney, he was chief of staff for Senator Arlen Specter. What was he like to work for?

“Well he demanded a lot of you, but he never demanded more from you that he did from himself. He was incredibly disciplined and prepared and he expected you to be, but if you lived up to that standard then he began to give you the kind of confidence and trust and then he brought you in to the middle of the important things that he was doing and so for me it was a chance to watch a real master and learn a great deal.”

Listen to extended interview:

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For Lynn Abraham working for DA Arlen Specter beginning in 1967 was an eye-opener. He was tough a teacher, but she says his determination was evident in a final act.

“The fact that he left the hospital and told Joan that he wanted to teach his class at Penn Law School on the confirmation process of selecting judges, and did. Just a few days before his death is emblematic of the kind of strength, courage, determination, and tremendous discipline that he had.”

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