A Memorable Moment for Lynch: VIDEO

In eight years leading the state of New Hampshire, can you guess what moment Gov. John Lynch, D-Hopkinton, will remember most?

If you guessed a song, sung by Concord kids, you’d be right.

Back in March 2012, Lynch attended a reading promotion event at Broken Ground Elementary School in East Concord. He sat in a chair and read a Dr. Suess book to the children.

When he was finished, Lynch got up to leave. But the children had a surprise for him: a song.

Led by a music teacher at the school, the kids reworked the lyrics to a medley of Gary Lewis & the Playboys songs, including “This Diamond Ring,” a song that Lynch says was one of his first 45s that he and his future wife, Dr. Susan Lynch, would dance to. When the song finished, Lynch was blown away and held back tears as he thanked the students for such a lovely gesture.

Concord NH Patch was one of two media outlets at the event but the only one to record the singing on video, which was posted, along with a story, later that afternoon.

Not long after the story was published, Lewis, who played at Lynch’s first inaugural ball, received a Google News alert via email of the story link, according to Lynch. He clicked on the story, watched the video, and was amazed by what he saw. Lewis then called Lynch’s house and spoke to Susan. The governor visited Patch to watch the video, he said, and later, was able to connect over the phone with Lewis. Since that time, Lynch has watched the video a number of times, he said.

During interviews in the waning days of his administration, Lynch has noted that the kids singing to him in Concord was a highlight of his time as governor. New Hampshire Public Television featured the video in its recent interview with Lynch, which aired last week and will be rebroadcast at 10 p.m. on Saturday.

On Wednesday, after receiving a digital copy of the full song, Lynch reiterated how moved he was by the students: “It was one of the most memorable moments of my eight years in office.”

Today is Lynch’s last day as governor. Democrat Maggie Hassan will be sworn in at noon.