'A very pragmatic guy'; Arthur Chase, former state senator, dies at 84.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Author: Eckelbecker, Lisa
• Date: 06 January 2015

Byline: Lisa Eckelbecker

WORCESTER -- Former state senator Arthur E. Chase, a businessman whose political positions sometimes put him at odds with his Republican colleagues, died Monday at his home after suffering from heart failure. He was 84.

Mr. Chase was a Worcester native whose political career took him from the Worcester School Committee to the Statehouse, even as he oversaw printing businesses that created high-end stationery for celebrities and invitations to a presidential inauguration.

Easily distinguished by his bald head, Mr. Chase cut a striking figure as he railed against what he saw as public excesses such as county government.

But he was also involved in building new entities, too. As a state senator, he helped launch a Worcester magnet school focused on math and science, and he worked across the aisle with fellow legislators to create the Central Massachusetts Legislative Caucus.

"We got a lot done,'' said Kevin O'Sullivan, chief executive of Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives and the former Democratic state representative who worked with Mr. Chase to create a caucus that could coalesce around issues related to Central Massachusetts. "Friendships ensued. It was a very, very good thing. Working with Arthur, Arthur was a very pragmatic guy.''

Mr. Chase was born...