It's hard to believe that nearly 20 years have passed since a young Fred Berry won the Senate seat of the retiring Jack King.

That was in 1982 and the Peabody Democrat has since won re-election eight times, making him at age 50 the longest serving member of the Massachusetts Senate.

We have followed the career of the Dean of the Senate since his days on the City Council in Peabody in the 1970s, so we were not surprised to read all the praise heaped upon him by his colleagues in a recent feature article by the Associated Press.

Most people in his district and throughout the North Shore know about Fred Berry's success in life and in politics against tougher odds than most of us face.

Berry, since birth, suffered from cerebral palsy, a brain injury that affects muscle movement and speech, which has given him periodic physical pain over the years.

But the Peabody senator has continued to overcome all obstacles to become a powerful force in the Senate and a champion of the disabled throughout Massachusetts.

Posessing a wit that is disarming to others, Berry has worked his way up into a leadership position that not only allows him to deliver for the causes that drive his passion, but allow him to bring the bread and butter home to his district. The senator lists as his greatest achievement a sewage treatment plant in his district that saved local residents $113 million in water and sewer payments.

We see his greatest achievements as providing a voice and serving as a champion for people with disabilities. In doing so, Senator Berry, like the Little Engine that Could, has provided a role model for all of us.