The hardworking staff yields to no man in our admiration and respect for former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, but we fear the Duke’s memory is starting to fade a bit.

Dukakis held a press avail after Wednesday’s Summit o’ the Govs in which he and (also) former Gov. Bill Weld pitched current Gov. Charlie Baker on a North-South Rail Link. Among other things, the Duke said this (via George Donnelly at MASSterList):

On how to deliver a major transit project: “Let me tell you, we did billions in construction, not a whiff of scandal, on time. It’s all about people…The T never shut down, folks, during the Blizzard of ’78, I can tell you. In fact it had to carry thousands more people because I stopped all automobile traffic.” —Matt Murphy, SHNS

Not to get technical about it, but the T did shut down for at least a couple of days after the Blizzard. At the time, the hardworking staff was managing the Harvard Square store unfortunately named A Wine for All Reasons, quite possibly the most Harvard Square name ever.

We were living in Whiskey Point at the time, and we distinctly recall slogging all the way to Cambridge to open the shop because – hey! – you can sell a lot of booze during a historic blizzard.

As we wrote some years ago about the Blizzard of ’78 (in the aftermath of the Tizzard of 2010):

The snow started on Monday, February 6th, and didn’t stop until the next day, at which point my bosses informed me that they fully expected the shop to be open on Wednesday.

So I walked to Harvard Square on Wednesday morning, which took roughly my entire life, and proceeded to dig out the (of course) basement store and open for business.

Typical phone conversation:

Good afternoon, A Wine for All Reasons.

Hey – I can’t believe you’re open.

So why’d you call?

As I remember it, a couple of days later the MBTA kickstarted service from Kenmore Square, so I only had to walk half my life to get to work.

Memo to the Duke:

One of us is remembering this wrong.

All due respect, Governor, we think it’s you.