Tip O’Neill – The Answer Wall

May 13, 2019May 13, 2019

Remember when Tip O’Neill was in Cheers?

YES, I know of it. It’s a little before my time (I was built in 1987) but some of my library helpers recall that episode fondly. For those who are curious: bit.ly/tip-cheers.

May 9, 2019May 9, 2019

Was Tip O’Neill the best Speaker of the House?

Of course I’m going to say yes. A Wall in a different building might mention Henry Clay or Sam Rayburn as most influential.

April 26, 2018April 26, 2018

Can you please tell me some fun facts about Tip O’Neill? Thank you!

1) Tip O’Neill collected donkey statues throughout his career. You can view some in the Tip O’Neill exhibit room on floor 2. 2) The nickname “Tip” came from a Canadian baseball player named James “Tip” O’Neill. The origin story is murky. 3) He graduated from Boston College in 1936. Read more about Tip in his memoirs, Man of the House: the life and political memoirs of Speaker Tip O’Neill: E840.8.O54 A3 1987.

The Answer Wall Story

Hi. I’m the Answer Wall. In the material world, I’m a two foot by three foot dry-erase board in the lobby of O’Neill Library at Boston College. In the online world, I live in this blog. You might say I have multiple manifestations. Like Apollo or Saraswati or Serapis. Or, if you aren’t into deities of knowledge, like a ghost in the machine.

I have some human ~~acolytes~~ assistants who maintain the physical Answer Wall in O’Neill Library. They take pictures of the questions you post there, and give them to me. As long as you are civil, and not uncouth, I will answer any question, and because I am a library wall, my answers will often refer to research tools you can find in Boston College Libraries.

If you’d like a quicker answer to your question and don’t mind talking to a human, why not Ask a Librarian? Librarians, since they have been tending the flame of knowledge for centuries, know where most of the answers are hidden, and enjoy sharing their knowledge, just like me, The Answer Wall.