9-13-07, 10:44 am

If there ever is a Marxist version of the 'Trivial Pursuit' board game, it will have to include the following question: 'Name the Communist candidate who opposed House Speaker Thomas P. 'Tip' O'Neill in more than one general election, and received 25 percent of the vote?' The answer would be: Laura Ross. Laura Ross died last month in her ninth decade, bringing to a close her sixty-six years of membership in the Communist Party. Other than her electoral campaigns, she was not as well known outside the bay state as were other Massachusetts Communists such as Anne Burlak ('The Red Flame' Timpson and Otis Hood. But Laura was a stalwart who, together with such late comrades as Ed Teixeira and Lew Johnson, worked consistently and confidently to build the Party and the progressive movement in Massachusetts. If you were a visitor to the Center for Marxist Education in Cambridge's Central Square during the 1970's and 1980's the chances are good you would have encountered Ed, Lew and/or Laura. It is tribute to their efforts that a number of young activists were recruited to the Party, often under some very difficult circumstances, and that the movement continues to grow and thrive in Massachusetts today. As one might expect, Laura was a woman of a very strong opinions and was without hesitation in expressing them. On one occasion, when a heckler interrupted a presentation about the Second World War made by a visiting Soviet delegation, she immediately jumped into the verbal fray. On another occasion that occurred during one of her electoral campaigns, she candidly told a young man of right-wing political persuasions why her Communist candidacy was important for Massachusetts. Although he was originally somewhat hostile to Laura if not precisely 'in your face,' he had conceded some of her points by the time he withdrew -- and even took her literature with him. Laura also delighted in telling the story about how she was visited by FBI agents during the height of the McCarthyite witch hunts. She was busy washing her floors when two agents knocked on her door. They displayed their identification when she opened the door and asked to speak with her. She told them she was busy washing the floors and, without further ado, proceeded to empty the large bucket of dirty water out the door leaving the agents to scramble so as to not to have their shined shoes ruined. Laura said the agents never returned. As tough as she was politically, Laura was capable of remarkable compassion and tenderness on personal issues. Even then, however, she was largely incapable of what often passes as tact. You quickly learned never to ask Laura her opinion unless you wanted an absolutely honest answer. Above it all, she kept her sense of humor, and would display a surprisingly high-pitched giggle when she heard a joke or comment she enjoyed. When not at the Center for Marxist Education or in the streets, Laura's world centered on her apartment on Commonwealth Avenue in the Brighton section of Boston, a residence she shared with her second husband, Max, who was a labor lawyer. Laura was devoted to Max, who was one of the most diminutive men I've ever met in my life. Laura affectionately called him 'Maxie,' and to me he bore a striking resemblance to David Ben Gurion late in life. Laura's apartment was a constant hub of activity for not only the Communist Party but also the Rainbow Coalition in Boston. The walls were filled with memorabilia, and she was most proud of a certificate of appreciation she received from the Young Workers Liberation League, predecessor organization to today's YCL. Her staunch support for youth issues, and to building the YWLL and YCL, never flagged. She retained her passion for socialism and the Communist Party all of her life and, as she was in her final days, displayed the strength and dignity which those of us who had the pleasure and privilege of knowing her knew were so very Laura. A memorial service will take place at 2:00 p.m. on September 29th at the Community Church, 565 Boylston Street, Copley Square, Boston. Donations in her memory can be made to the Center for Marxist Education, People's Weekly World, Fund for Progress II, Chelsea Fund for Education and/or Communist Party, USA and should be sent to 'Laura Ross Memorial,' 1534 Commonwealth Avenue, Brighton, MA 02135-5002. Additional information can be obtained by contacting Gary Dotterman at (617) 738-4279. Laura Ross, Presente!

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