Other than Kitty Dukakis, the late wife of ex-Gov. Michael Dukakis, can you name another former first lady of Massachusetts?  No offense to previous gubernatorial spouses, but probably not. The fact is Kitty Dukakis, who died on Friday, was the most famous wife of a Massachusetts governor in recent memory largely because of the bravery and dignity she displayed by publicly acknowledging she suffered from depression and alcoholism. She deserves praise for so much more, such as for her various political and charitable work over the course of her life. But it was her honesty about her personal problems that people will long remember and deeply appreciate, similar to Betty Ford’s courageous and candid battles against alcoholism and breast cancer while in the White House in the ‘70s. Both women confronted stigmas and changed social attitudes simply by telling the truth about themselves.

Kitty Dukakis, thank you and RIP. … More on Kitty Dukakis at WBUR.