Sep 18, 2008 10:05 am US/Eastern
Former Mayor Flynn Collapses During Speech
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Former Boston mayor Ray Flynn (file image)
WBZ
Former Boston mayor
Ray Flynn is undergoing tests at a hospital after collapsing at a speaking engagement Wednesday.
Edward Flynn told The Associated Press that his father was talking with family members at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton, where he spent the night under observation.
"I think he's feeling better," the younger Flynn said.
Hospital officials said Flynn, 69, was in fair condition Thursday morning.
Flynn was speaking at "Theology on Tap," a religious outreach program at Bad Abbott's tavern in Quincy on Wednesday, when he began to feel faint and collapsed.
Edward Flynn said his father was talking with about 300 people at the gathering sponsored by St. Ann's Catholic Church, and was telling a story about his own failed NBA tryout when he became ill.
"He was talking about being the last person cut from the
Boston Celtics and talking about working hard, and being honest and never giving up. He wasn't able to finish that story," Flynn said.
The tavern's owner, Peter Kerr, told WBZ that Flynn's wife said her husband wasn't feeling well before the speech, saying she had hoped he would postpone it.
Kerr said after a half-hour, Flynn felt dizzy and then collapsed. Kerr added that Flynn did not drink any alcohol and was conscious when he was placed in an ambulance.
Family friends told the
Boston Herald the former mayor had been hit hard by the recent death of his brother.
Flynn was mayor of Boston from 1984 to 1993, when President Clinton appointed him ambassador to the
Vatican, a post he held until 1997.
He was also a star basketball player at
Providence College in the early 1960's.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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