He struggled to walk. He slurred his words. He had clenched hands. He knew he was different from other kids.

At birth, cerebral palsy had robbed Berry of much of his speech and mobility, but not his mind.

And certainly not his heart.

Now the Senate majority leader, Frederick E. Berry, 56, is widely viewed as a consistent voice for the disabled, the elderly, the poor, and others whose own voices might not otherwise be heard on Beacon Hill. After 23 years, Berry is the Senate's longest-serving member.

On Friday, the Senate dean, once taunted by schoolyard bullies, will get a college building named for him. The Frederick E. Berry Building will be dedicated at North Shore Community College in Danvers, in a ceremony that will draw the state's political and educational leaders to the campus on Ferncroft Road.

Senate President Robert E. Travaglini, a close friend, will be among the speakers.

''I view him as a treasure," Travaglini said. ''We discuss the most serious and significant policies affecting the entire state. And each and every time, regardless of the sensitivity or complexity of the issue, we always find a way to resolve it. . . . He has heart, and it drives him."

The 106,000-square-foot glass-and-steel building, which opened two years ago, houses administrative offices, health programs, a technology center, a library, and a special program for students with learning disabilities. Its opening ended a decades-long struggle to find a permanent home for North Shore's main campus, which has long been based in Beverly.

The college, which was founded in 1965, rented space first in downtown Beverly and most recently on Sohier Road. Its first permanent college building opened in Lynn in 1986. Meanwhile, the college kept looking for a permanent home for its Beverly campus, opening its new building in Danvers in 2003. The college now has 9,000 students enrolled in Lynn, Danvers, and at a Beverly training center.

As the state senator representing Beverly and Danvers, Berry played a key role in securing state bond money for the $24.2 million, three-story building on the Danvers campus. A plaque in the main lobby recognizes his ''commitment to the advancement of a community college education."

The Berry dedication will take place as the community college observes its 40th anniversary. The theme: ''A Call to Service."

''We're encouraging our students to become more engaged in public life," said Wayne M. Burton, the college president. ''I can't think of a better role model for that than Fred Berry. His life truly has been a call to service."

Candace Waldron, executive director of HAWC, a group in Salem that advocates for victims of domestic violence, also will speak at Friday's ceremony.

''Fred Berry has always been on the side of those who have no power," Waldron said. ''If somebody needs help from the government to take that next step forward, he's there for them."

Advocates for the disabled say the honor is long overdue.

''He's worked tirelessly behind the scenes to improve the lives of children and adults," said Jerry McCarthy, executive director of North Shore ARC, a Peabody nonprofit group that provides services for the disabled. ''But he's not someone who desires a lot of credit, or tries to get his name associated with the work he does."

Berry is not without his detractors. He has at times been accused of being too much of a Beacon Hill insider. He has been a leading supporter of expanded gambling and, most recently, he switched his position and voted in favor of gay marriage.

So what does the low-key senator say about having his name on a college building? ''It's humbling," he said. ''But, usually, these things are only done when someone has passed away. I still feel like I'm a young man, with a long way to go."

Berry and his wife, Gayle, live in his native Peabody. He is the stepfather of two, Lindsey, 24, and Frank Lotito, 20. Another stepdaughter, Natalie, is deceased. The son of a grocer and homemaker, Berry is the youngest of four children born to Helen Berry, now 88, and the late Philip Berry.

Berry credits his family with much of his success. ''I knew from the time I was born that I was different," he said. ''There weren't as many services in place then to help people, but my mother and father were extremely supportive. . . . Unfortunately, that's not the case for everyone. I was very lucky."

Although he never attended a community college, Berry said he feels a kinship with its students. Many are of working-class stock, and are taking the first step on the higher education ladder.

Older students enroll in job training programs. Others may already have a college degree, but are looking to brush up on technology and other skills. Berry said his wife graduated from North Shore's physical therapy program.

''People learn differently," Berry said. ''And they take different paths to college. I was fortunate to have a very good education. I like to think I've done my part to make that accessible to others."

Berry's schooling started in Peabody. He attended Center School in the first grade, before the taunting got to be too much. He was home-schooled in second grade, before transferring to St. John the Baptist School, his parish school in Peabody, in the third grade.

St. John's didn't prove to be the right answer, either. ''My mother had told the mother superior that I was taunted," he said. ''And the mother superior promptly warned the other kids that if they teased 'Freddie Berry' at all, they would go to hell. So no kids ever came near me. I felt very isolated."

In sixth grade, Berry enrolled in the Massachusetts Hospital School in Canton, a state-run school for disabled students. He lived there, returning home only one weekend day each week to visit his family.

Three years later, Berry enrolled at Bishop Fenwick High School in Peabody. He graduated in 1968 and went on to earn a business degree from Boston College. After graduation, Berry enrolled in VISTA, the domestic peace corps, working with poor families in rural Texas. He earned a master's degree in education from Antioch College.

He came home to Peabody to work on helping others. He was director of the Hogan Regional Center, a state vocational program in Danvers, and Heritage Industries, a job training program for the disabled in Peabody. In 1979, he tossed his hat into the political ring and was elected to the first of two terms on the Peabody City Council.

Eager to have a larger political platform, Berry ran for an open state Senate seat in 1982. He is now serving in his 12th term. A loyal lieutenant, Berry bonded with Senate leaders, landing key committee assignments.

He was the longtime chairman of the Senate Housing and Urban Development Committee. He later got the posts of assistant majority leader, majority whip, and, since 2003, majority leader.

Berry's Second Essex Senate District includes Beverly, Danvers, Peabody, Salem, and Topsfield. In addition to serving as majority leader of the 40-member body, Berry also serves on the Children and Families and Mental Health and Substance Abuse committees.

Berry said he's humbled by the trust of his leaders and has no plans to retire. When it came time to choose a name for the college building, he dropped the lofty title and opted for the name his parents had given him at birth.

''Long after I am gone from the State House," he said, ''I will always be Frederick E. Berry."

Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com.