Wicked Local For decades, Sam Berman’s legacy echoed across Boston and on radio waves around the country. It lives on in the pockets of Bostonians still, on the near-ubiquitous CharlieCard. Berman, a longtime Lexington resident, World War II veteran, activist, and one of the musicians originally responsible for “Charlie on the M.T.A,” died earlier this month at the age of 98. Throughout his long life, Berman was known for many things. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for saving a fellow bombardier during a 1944 mission in Italy. He served as a Lexington Town Meeting member for 25 years. He helped write the original lyrics to “Charlie on the M.T.A. for Walter A. O’Brien’s 1949 mayoral campaign. But perhaps the most important title he held was “dad,” or “grandpa.”