Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame:

Dr. Doris M. Hollway Abels

Inducted in 2000

Holloway-Abels, Doris

Dr. James P. Adams (1895-1969)

Inducted in 1966

Dr. James P. Adams, 1895-1969, educator, college administrator, and civic leader, was born in Michigan, but was on the faculty of Brown University from 1921 to 1944, serving the last twelve years as vice president. He also taught economics and became chairman of that academic department at age thirty-three, setting a Brown record for the head of a major department. Read more >

Rev. Dr. Elisha Benjamin Andrews (1844-1917)

Inducted in 2010

Andrews, Elisha Benjamin, 1844-1917

Although E. Benjamin Andrews had only one eye – the result of a Civil War wound at the Battle of the Crater–some might say he was one of the most visionary presidents of Brown University. During his nine-year tenure as the eighth chief executive of Brown, he moved it from its status of a college to that of a university, drove it in the direction of a research institution, and opened opportunities for women by establishing Pembroke. Any one of these accomplishments would have earned him recognition as a distinguished and accomplished educator, but all of these were mastered while he performed his own scholarship. Read more >

David L. Angell (1946-2001)

Inducted in 2003

David L. Angell was best known for producing Emmy Award winning shows Cheers," "Wings" and "Frasier."Born on April 10, 1946 in Providence, David Angell was the youngest of three children of Mae Cooney Angell and Henry Angell. David attended Providence College, where he studied English literature. Read more >

James Burrill Angell (1829-1916)

Inducted in 2008

James Burrill Angell had a remarkably diverse career-- Brown University graduate, professor of languages, newspaper editor, university president, and diplomat. He is best known as the longest-serving president of the University of Michigan where he aspired to provide an ‘uncommon education for the common man.’

Born on January 7, 1829, in Scituate, Rhode Island, Angell was the eldest of eight
children of Amy and Andrew Angell, and a member of an old-line Rhode Island family that traced its lineage to Thomas Angell who came to Providence with Roger Williams.

Although reared on an outlying farm, Angell had an excellent early education including a
year at the University Grammar School under the instruction of Henry Frieze, a teacher who would spend many years as professor and interim president of the University of Michigan. Read more >

H. Cushman Anthony (1904-2000)

Inducted in 1985

J. Cushman Anthony, 1904-2000, was known as "Mr. Boy Scout" in Rhode Island. He was also known as "Gus", as he dedicated a lifetime to the youth of our community and gave of himself in aiding the elderly. Read more >

M. Therese Antone, RSM, Ed.D.

Inducted in 2006

Antone, M. Therese

Therese Antone was born in Central Falls, the third of seven children raised by Florence Smith Antone and George Antone, a cobbler. After graduation from Cumberland High School, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Salve Regina University, a master’s from Villanova University, and a Doctor of Education degree from Harvard University. She also completed the senior executive program at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Read more >

Dr. Stanley M. Aronson

Inducted in 1997

Dr. Aronson, of Rehoboth, MA, is an internationally acclaimed medical educator and researcher, founding Dean of the Brown University Medical School, co-founder of Hospice Care of Rhode Island and the Interfaith Health Care Ministries, prolific author and editor of the Rhode Island Medical Journal, and a person key to the establishment of diagnostic laboratory test for Tay Sachs Disease and Muscular Dystrophy.

Joseph Banigan (1839-1898)

Inducted in 2005

Joseph Banigan (1839-1898) and his parents were part of a wave of Irish Catholic refugees who fled the Potato Famine in Ireland. Arriving in Rhode Island in 1847, he attended school for one year before becoming a full-time worker at age nine. Over the next fifty years he employed the "pluck and luck" characteristics of Yankee entrepreneurs to build a local footwear empire before assuming the presidency of the United States Rubber Company in 1893.

Banigan was a youthful apprentice in the jewelry industry before tinkering with rubber products. Read more >

Henry Barnard (1811-1900)

Inducted in 2001

Henry Barnard (1811-1900) was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He graduated from Yale in 1830, taught school for a year in Pennsylvania, then returned to Connecticut to study law. Although he gained admission to the bar in 1834, he never practiced. After a sojourn in Europe, Barnard was elected as a Whig to the Connecticut legislature and soon adopted the reform of the common school as his great cause. Read more >

Brother Adelard Beaudet (1884-1990)

Inducted in 1986

Brother Beaudet was "The father of Schoolboy Hockey in Rhode Island", and became the forst coach of the sport at Mt. St. Charles Academy in Woonsocket in 1930. As a teacher and coach, his MSC teams won ten state championships and two national titles in thirty years. Read more >

Rev. Aloysius B. Begley, O.P.

Inducted in 1974

Reverend Aloyius B. Begley, O.P. was Providence College Director of Athletics for thrity-one years. Read more >

Norman B. "Bill" Belisle

Inducted in 1990

Bill Belisle, of Manville, RI, had a distinguished career as Head Coach of the emminantly successful Mt. St. Charles Academy hockey program. Resulting in 418 victories and 13 consecutive State Chapionships, his teams have been voted as national schoolboy champions. Read more >

Robert H. "Bob" Bennett (1913-1974)

Inducted in 1968

Bob Bennettwon a bronze medal in the hammer-throw at the 1948 London Olympics. A native Rhode Islander, and a 1948 graduate of Brown University, Bennett set the Brown track record of 179'8" in the hammer and earned All-American honors. Read more >

Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753)

Inducted in 1998

Berkeley, George, 1685-1753

Eighteenth century Rhode Island’s most famous scholar was Irish clergyman George Berkeley (pronounced Bar-clay), Anglican essayist and philosopher, who renovated and resided at the beautifully preserved Whitehall Farm in present-day Middletown during his eventful stay in America from 1729 to 1731.

Berkeley was born in Ireland in 1685 and educated at Trinity College, Dublin where he then became a lecturer in Divinity, Greek, and Hebrew. In 1724 he was appointed Anglican Dean of Derry, and in 1729 Berkeley crossed the Atlantic to inquire into the condition and character of the North American Indians in expectation of a royal grant for founding a college for Native American youth on the island of Bermuda. By accident or design, he landed in Newport in the company of Scottish-born artist John Smibert who had earlier emigrated to Boston and was returning to America after a period of study at Rome and London. Read more >

Maximilian D. Berlitz (1852-1921)

Inducted in 2007

Berlitz, M. D. (Maximilian Delhinus), 1852-1921

Maximilian D. Berlitz was born on April 14, 1852 in the village of Mühringen at the edge of the Black Forest in southwest Germany. Read more >

Sister Mary Bernard

Inducted in 1987

Sister Bernard served the community as a dedicated religious educator and Mercy missionary for over sixty years. She continued at St. Mary's Academy well into her eighties where she has been a teacher, Principle, and Head of the Guidance Department. She was also Principle and taught for many years at St. Read more >

Helen A. Bert (1922-2002)

Inducted in 1996

Ms. Bert, of North Providence, was a Director of Women’s Athletics at Providence College, and widely recognized for her decades of service promoting athletic opportunities for Women. Coming to the Rhode Island when the College became co-educational in 1970, she was the first woman to be elected into the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984. She developed a women’s program which included 14 sports during her 19 year tenure as Department Head. Read more >

Thomas Williams Bicknell (1834-1925)

Inducted in 2010

Bicknell, Thomas Williams, 1834-1925

Thomas W. Bicknell (1834-1925) of Barrington was one of the two outstanding historians of Rhode Island during the first half of the 20th century (Dr. Charles Carroll was the other). In 1920 he published a three-volume narrative history of the state, supplemented by three biographical volumes. Read more >

Dr. Bruce Macmillan Bigelow (1903-1954)

Inducted in 1967

Bruce Bigelow, 1903-1954, was a Brown University Graduate and a historian, who served as Vice President of the University during the administration of President Henry M. Wriston (1937-1955). Described by noted Brown professor of English Robert Kenny as "a gem, a man of personality and charm." In a sense he was Wriston's trouble shooter. Read more >

Robert J. Black

Inducted in 1995

Mr. Black of Providence was widely recognized as the State of Rhode Island’s greatest distance runner of all-time. He was a two-time National (NCAA) cross-country champion, and was named All-American in several catagories as a runner for the then Rhode Island State College, now URI. He is the only person ever to win four consecutive Intercollegiate cross-country titles. Read more >

General John Bruce Blount (1928-)

Inducted in 1984

General John Bruce Blount was a career U.S. Army Officer who, according to available records, was the only native-born, three-star general in Rhode Island history. Known by his middle name, Bruce, he was raised in Kingston, RI, and was a 1950 graduate of RI State College (now URI), where he excelled in both baseball and basketball, and was ROTC Cadetted Colonel. Read more >

Bradford P. Boss

Inducted in 1980

Bradford P. Boss, whose career at A.T. Cross was primarily in sales and marketing, served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Costa Inc (Formerly Known As A. Read more >

Edwin C. Brown

Inducted in 1986

Mr. Brown was one of the foremost proponants of organized labor in the State. He was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the RI AFL, and later was a key negotiator in the merger of the AFL with CIO, He served on the State Board of Education and later the Board of Regents for twenty-eight years, being elected Chairman in 1964. He served a miriad of causes in Rhode Island and received honary degrees from URI and Bryant, and was honored witht the United Way's National Beirne Award in 1981. Read more >

John Nicholas Brown (1900-1979)

Inducted in 1975

John Nicholas Brown, 1900-1979, was a former assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air, senior fellow at Brown University and a director of the Smithsonian Institution. He directed the search and recovery of the works of art stolen by the Nazis for which he was decorated by the French and Belgian governments. Read more >

Joseph Brown (1733-1785)

Inducted in 1999

Brown, Joseph, 1733-1785

Joseph Brown was a noted businessman, scientist, and architect, was the son of James Brown and Hope Power and one of the famous Brown brothers who dominated civic life in Providence during the second half of the 18th century. Although he was a successful merchant, his heart and mind were also occupied by more learned enterprises. Brown is best known for his role in making observations of the transit of the planet Venus across the suns face in 1769, a project in which he collaborated with other astronomers around the world. By comparing transit measurements made at different sites, scientists were able to determine the parallax of the sun and from this, the dimensions of the solar system. Read more >

Moses Brown (1738-1836)

Inducted in 1999

Moses Brown was a prominent Providence merchant, reformer, and philanthropist. He was one of the famous Brown brothers, a group that included John, Joseph, James, and Nicholas. He had a few years of formal schooling before becoming apprenticed to his wealthy uncle Obadiah to learn the intricacies of 18th century trade and commerce. He remained an influential businessman well into the 19th century. Read more >

Nicholas Brown, II (1769-1841)

Inducted in 2000

Nicholas Brown, one of the five famous Brown brothers of late eighteenth-century Providence, died in 1791, leaving his financial empire to his son and namesake, Nicholas II. The younger Nicholas married Ann Carter, daughter of the prominent Providence publisher John Carter, and formed the highly successful mercantile industrial partnership called Brown and Ives in 1796.

When the name of Rhode Island College was changed to Brown University in 1804, the change was made in recognition of the gifts and services rendered to the school by the Brown brothers and by the younger Nicholas, who took his father’s seat on the corporation and served as a member for fifty years, twenty-nine of them as treasurer. In 1823 Nicholas presented to Brown the dormitory known as Hope College, and in 1834 he donated Manning Hall as a chapel and library in honor of the university’s first president. Read more >

John Carter Brown (1797-1874)

Inducted in 2012

Born in 1797, the youngest of the three surviving children of Nicholas Brown II and Ann Carter, daughter of John Carter, the noted Providence printer, John Carter Brown was raised in a family tradition of public leadership and philanthropy. While at Brown University, he joined an undergraduate society to provide needy students with free books.

Upon graduation in 1816, John Carter Brown joined the family firm, Brown & Ives. Though lacking his forefathers’ enthusiasm for business or politics, he cheerfully undertook his commercial responsibilities, especially after his older brother Nicholas III defiantly left the family firm to settle in New York. Read more >

Harold W. Browning (1893-1987)

Inducted in 1977

Harold W. Browning, 1893-1987, graduated from Rhode Island State College in 1914, and received his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin. He was Director of Graduate Studies, Dean of Men, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Vice President, and Vice President Emeritus of the University at the University of Rhode Island. During his tenure, he played a prominent role in attaining university status for the school. Read more >

Bernard V. Buonanno

Inducted in 1992

Mr. Buonanno was a graduate of Classical High School, teacher of French and Latin, counsellor, and, in 1936, returned to coach three sports, football, track, and basketball. He brought Classical championships in football and indooor track. He was a former member of the State Board of Regents and the Rhode Island Board of Education. Read more >

Joseph E. Buonanno, Sr. (1910-1991)

Inducted in 1981

Joseph E. Buonanno, Sr., 1910-1991, was a great Brown quarterback in the 1930's. He became Trustee Emeritus of his University, and Founder of Metro Dyestuff Company. Read more >

Sydney Richmond Burleigh (1853-1931)

Inducted in 2011

Burleigh, Sydney Richmond, 1853-1931

Sydney Richmond Burleigh, a man with roots in Little Compton, Rhode Island, studied art with Jean-Paul Laurens in Paris for two years from 1878 to 1880. Upon his return, he became one of the founders and one of the first exhibitors at the newly-formed Providence Art Club. He taught at the Rhode island School of Design and was one of the founders of the Providence Watercolor Club. He became a champion of the emerging Arts and Crafts Movement. Read more >

Billie Ann Burrill (1921-2010)

Inducted in 2013

World-class master’s athlete, coach, sports administrator, and indefatigable worker for the performing arts in Rhode Island, Billie Ann Burrill’s talents have known no bounds. While she was director of the Health and Physical Education Department at Rhode Island College, her drive and enthusiasm enabled the school’s Performing Arts Series to become the finest in the state.

Burrill was born in Joliet, Illinois on March 11, 1921. She served in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) during World War II. Read more >

Ernest A. Calverley

Inducted in 1967

Ernest Calverley of Pawtucket was a three-time All-American basketball star at the University of Rhode Island who played under the legendary Coach Frank W. Keaney. The sure-shot Calverley led the Ram's to glory at Madison Square Garden in 1946 when URI lost the championship game by a single point. Calverley, however, won the tournament's MVP Award. Read more >

Dr. Joseph E. Cannon (1911-1989)

Inducted in 2010

Joseph Cannon was born in Providence in 1911, the son of General Francis Cannon and Mary (Milligan) Cannon. He attended Technical High School and graduated from Brown University in 1932. He chose a career in medicine, and in 1936 he earned his degree cum laude from Tufts Medical School. Dr. Read more >

Dr. Charles Carroll (1876-1936)

Inducted in 2009

Carroll, Charles, 1876-1936

Dr. Charles Carroll, Rhode Island’s foremost historian of his era, was born in Providence to newspaper printer William Carroll and Mary (Sheehan) Carroll. He was educated in the Providence public schools and at Brown University where he excelled in mathematics, edited the Brown Daily Herald, captained the debate team, and served as secretary of the class of 1898. He furthered his studies at Harvard receiving a law degree from that university in 1901, the same year he was admitted to the Rhode Island bar. Read more >

Dr. Aram V. Chobanian

Inducted in 1992

Dr. Chobanian was a Pawtucket born graduate of Brown University and Harvard Medical School. He was responsible for establishing and directing Boston Univerity's world renowned Cardiovascular Center. Internationally respected, he has been a Visitng Professsor at the Italian Hypertension Society, the Danish hypertension Society, and Hong Kong University. Read more >

Dr. John Bates Clark (1847-1938)

Inducted in 2013

Clark, John Bates, 1847-1938

John Bates Clark was born in Providence on January 26, 1847, the son of merchant John H. Clark and Charlotte Huntington. In his early youth, his family moved to Minneapolis where his father engaged in the business of selling farm machinery. Clark came east in the early 1860s to attend Providence High School and Brown University, but after a return to Minnesota to manage his ailing father’s business, he concluded his American studies at Amherst College. Read more >

John Collier (1907-1984)

Inducted in 1968

John Collier, 1907-1984, was a bronze medalist in the 110-meter high-hurdles in the 1928 Amsterdam Games. He was a Providence resident and the son of noted Brown University historian Theodore Collier. This Phi Beta Kappa student was the long-time Brown University record holder in the hurdles events, and the national collegiate champion in the high hurdles. In 1934, Collier ran the sixty-yard high-hurdles in 7. Read more >

Dr. Joseph Conte

Inducted in 1986

Dr. Conte was a renowned music director who had a long and eventful career as a concertmaster, conductor, bandmaster, violinist, and teacher. He was concertmaster of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra for twenty-one years. Conte was the founder and conducted The Young People's Symphony of Rhode Island for sixteen years. Read more >

Arlan R. Coolidge

Inducted in 1988

Coolidge, Arlan R. (Arlan Ralph), 1902-

Mr. Coolidge has been an internationally renowned violinist who is a graduate of Brown, and served as Chairman of Brown's Department of Music for thirty-one years. He was former Executive Director of the Arts Rhode Island, lived in Providence, and served as Chairman of several Governor's Commissions on fne arts. Read more >

Dr. Leon Cooper (1930-)

Inducted in 1974

Dr. Leon Cooper, a physicist at Brown University, won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1972, with two other U.S. scientists. Read more >

Diane L. Coutu (1953-)

Inducted in 1980

Diane Coutu, a native of West Warwick, was named a Rhode Scholar at Oxford after graduating with honors at Yale University. She was the winner of the Rotary International Fellowship, an Oxford University Graduate, and interned as Yale's Griswold Scholar. At the age of 27, she was appointed to the Rand Corporation in California, where she worked until 1997. Read more >

Prudence Crandall (1803-1890)

Inducted in 2001

Prudence Crandall was born in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, the daughter of Pardon Crandall, a Quaker farmer and Esther Carpenter, both of whom were descended from prominent old-line South County families. When Prudence was ten she moved to a farm in nearby Canterbury, Connecticut, but returned to Rhode Island from 1825 to 1830 as a student at the New England Friends’ Boarding School (Moses Brown) in Providence. She therefore, was both Rhode Island born and educated.

In 1831, some leading citizens of Canterbury hired Crandall to organize a school for girls. Read more >

Vincent E. Cullen

Inducted in 1994

Mr. Cullen, a native of Cranston, became a highly successful Director of Athletics and basketball coach for 29 years at Community College of Rhode Island. Hired as a mathematics professor in 1965, he was asked to organize the school’s first basketball team. Vin Cullen served as its’ first and only top athletic administrator. Read more >

Helen Metcalf Danforth (1887-1984)

Inducted in 1998

Danforth, Helen M., -- 1887-1984

Helen Danforth was born in Providence in 1887 to the RISD Treasurer Stephen O. Metcalf, the son of Jesse Metcalf, president and treasurer of the Wanskuck Company, and Esther Henrietta Pierce. The Metcalfs were descendants from a leading family of southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Read more >

William M. Davies, Jr.

Inducted in 2004

Cardinal John Dearden (1907-1988)

Inducted in 1980

Cardinal John Dearden, 1907-1988, became Archbishop of Detroit, Michigan, ministering a flock of 1,200,000 Catholics. Born John Dearden in Valley Falls, he began his education at The Holy Trinity School in Central Falls. Ordained a priest in Rome by Cardinal Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani in 1932, he served as Bishop of Pittsburgh, and has authored national educational programs devoted to principles of justice. Read more >

Dr. Eric Denoff (1913-1982)

Inducted in 1994

Dr. Denhoff, a native of Providence, was a pediatric neurologist and leader in advancements for children with disabilities. With Margaret “Poggy” Langdon, Dr. Denhoff established Meeting Street to provide integrated educational, therapeutic, and developmental services to children with disabilities and developmental delays. Read more >

Reverend John Byron Diman (1863-1949)

Inducted in 2009

Diman, John Byron, 1863-1949

Reverend John Byron Diman was born in Brookline, Massachusetts to a prominent Rhode Island family of French-Huguenot origin, a branch of which settled in Bristol. The family’s surname has been spelled in several ways including “Diamont ” and “Diamond.” John’s grandfather Byron was the Law and Order governor of Rhode Island in 1846-47; another relative, Francis M. Diamond served as governor in 1853-54 as a Democrat. Read more >

Alexander DiMartino (1907-2001)

Inducted in 1979

Alexander Dimartino, 1907-2001, served as Chairman of the Rhode Island Water Resources Board and President of the Narragansett Preservation and Improvement Association. He was responsible for the construction of many bridges over Route 95 and for the Washington Bridge. He actively engaged in Brown University alumni activities for many years, and was a native of Toulon, France. Read more >

Rev. Vincent C. Dore (1900-)

Inducted in 1971

The Very Reverend Vincent C. Dore, O.P. was a Dominican educator who served at Providence College as Athletic Director, Treasurer, Dean of Studies, Dean of Faculty, President, and Chancellor. Read more >

George T. Downing (1819-1903)

Inducted in 2003

George T. Downing, abolitionist, businessman, and civil rights advocate, was born in New York City on December 30, 1819 into a prominent, well-to-do African-American family. His father Thomas Downing was a restauranteur, whose Oyster House was a gathering place for New York's aristocracy and politicians. Under his father's guidance, young George participated in the Underground Railroad and lobbied to gain equal suffrage for blacks. Read more >

Sarah Elizabeth Doyle (1830-1922)

Inducted in 2005

Doyle, Sarah Elizabeth, 1830-1922

Sarah Elizabeth Doyle (1830-1922) was a lifelong resident of Rhode Island who participated in the social reform ferment that engulfed the state during the Gilded Age. Despite the conservative political nature of local thinking, she successfully pioneered educational opportunities for women at the highest level.

She entered Providence High School during its initial enrollment in 1843 and would later teach there from 1856 to 1892. During that time she helped nurture other women in the field of education while searching for institutional ways to solidify academic gains. Read more >

Daniel E. Doyle (1949-)

Inducted in 2006

Doyle, Daniel E., 1949-

Daniel Doyle is a graduate of Bates College, where he was co-captain of the varsity basketball team, and of the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University. Dan holds two honorary doctoral degrees – one from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts and the second from the University of Rhode Island. He is also a member of the Bates College Board of Trustees. Read more >

Edwin F. "Frosty" Drew

Inducted in 1990

Mr. Drew attended Moses Brown Scool, and as a Brown University graduate, began his career as a writer. He soon became actively involved in major efforts to preserve and protect the natural environmental heritage of RI. He particularly worked to sustain Ninigret Park in Charlestown, where the Frosty Drew Nature Center is located, and was instrumental in preventing the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Town. Read more >

Dr.Solomon Drowne (1753-1834)

Inducted in 2000

Dr. Solomon Drowne and Senator Theodore Foster (1752-1828), friends from their student days at Brown, collaborated in a fascinating way to shape the early history of the town of Foster. Set off from Scituate in 1781 and named for Theodore Foster, this western Rhode Island community became the home of both men when physician Drowne returned to Rhode Island from his far-flung travels in 1801 and Foster left the United States Senate in 1803. Both men had long talked of establishing themselves in a setting conducive to contemplating and pursuing their respective professional interests in an idyllic rural retreat. Read more >

Thomas E. Eccleston (1910-2001)

Inducted in 1988

Mr. Eccleston became a famed Rhode Island educational administrator, teacher, and coach, whose Burrillville teams won several state titles in baseball, football, and hockey. He continued on as a hockey coach, becoming what was beleived to be the oldest high school coach in the United States. A former Principal and Superintendent in Burrillville, he was also a successful coach at Providence College. Read more >

Fritz Eichenberg (1901-1990)

Inducted in 1987

Eichenberg, Fritz, 1901-1990

Mr. Eichenberg was an internationally recognized graphic artist, illustrator, and autor whose acheivements ared documented in the Library of Conress. He held several honorary degrees, including one from URI, where he served as professor and Chair of the Art Department. He became a well-known author, with texts that became standard for the feild. Read more >

Charles A. "Rip" Engle (1906-1983)

Inducted in 1974

Charles A. "Rip" Engle was Head Football Coach at both Brown University and Penn. State. In sixteen years with the Nittany Lions, he never had a losing season. Read more >

Dr. William H.P. Faunce (1859-1930)

Inducted in 1968

Dr. William H. P. Faunce, 1859-1930, was most notable for being president of Brown University from 1899 to 1929. Read more >

William F. Flanagan

Inducted in 1981

The late William F. Flanagan was dean of the Graduate School of Rhode Island College when he was selected to establish the state's Junior College system in 1964. He then served as President for fourteen years, before becoming Executive Director of the R.I. Read more >

Dr. Ernest S. Frerichs

Inducted in 2008

Ernest S. Frerichs is a man of three careers and a graduate of three New England universities: Brown, Harvard, and Boston. Born in Staten Island and educated in the public schools of New York City, Dr. Frerichs served with the U. Read more >

Fred Friendly (1915-1998)

Inducted in 1968

Friend Friendly, 1915-1998, was a radio pioneer and executive, and a prime mover in the early development of Providence radio station WEAN. He became a professor of Journalism at Columbia University and broadcast advisor to the Ford Foundation.

The broadcast newsroom at Columbia University's School of Journalism is named for Friendly, as is a professorship at the school. In 2005, actor George Clooney portrayed Friendly in the film Good Night, and Good Luck. Read more >

Ivan Fuqua (1909-1994)

Inducted in 1968

Ivan Fuqua, 1909-1994, a football and track star at Indiana University, won a gold medal at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, as part of the world record-setting 4x400-meter relay. In 1946 he came to Rhode Island to coach track at Brown University from 1947-1973 where guided the outdoor track team to five New England cross-country titles and three regional crowns. Read more >

Morris J.W. Gaebe

Inducted in 1980

Mr. Morris J.W. Gaebe is a trustee emeritus, chancellor emeritus at Johnson & Wales University. Read more >

Norma Ann (Bergquist) Garnett, Ed.D. (1930-)

Inducted in 2005

Garnett, Norma Ann, 1930-

Norma Ann (Bergquist) Garnett, Doctor Education, an innovative educator, has been a luminary in foreign language education since 1964. Dr. Garnett has instructed thousands of students and mentored hundreds of teachers, while receiving many prestigious local and national honors. She received one of Rhode Island’s first Milken Educator Awards. Read more >

Gov. J. Joseph Garrahy (1930-2012)

Inducted in 1989

Garrahy, John Joseph, 1930-2012

Governor Garrahy known as"Joe" or "the people's governor" was native Rhode Islander, the child of two Irish immigrants, who served four terms as Governor from 1977-85. He is best known for leading the state as governor during the Blizzard of 1978.

He graduated from La Salle Academy in Providence and attended the University of Buffalo and the University of Rhode Island. - See more at: http://www. Read more >

Robert Gaudreau (1944-)

Inducted in 1968

Robert Gaudreau, a member of the U.S. Hockey Team at the 1968 Olympics at Grenoble, France and a local schoolboy stand-out at Hope High School in Providence, where he made All-State. Later at Brown, he was selected twice to the All-American Hockey Team as a defenseman. Read more >

David Gavitt (1937-2011)

Inducted in 1979

David Gavitt, 1937-2001, a native of Westerly, was the successful coach of the Providence College basketball team, which brought fame to Rhode Island, for ten years. He was named coach of the basketball team that represented the Unites States in the 1980 Olympic Games. Read more >

Nancy Gewirtz, Ph.D.

Inducted in 2006

When Nancy Gewirtz died in 2004 after her courageous and graceful battle with cancer, she was widely and appropriately known by a title the Fund for Community Progress had aptly bestowed upon her in 1997--“A Voice for the Voiceless.” Indeed, Dr. Gewirtz's entire life was marked by her tireless efforts on behalf of the poor, the exploited, the defenseless, and the marginalized.

Ever since she completed her graduate studies, which included a doctorate in Political Science from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Social Work from the State University of New York at Buffalo, Dr. Read more >

Katharine Gibbs (1863-1934)

Inducted in 1983

Katharine Gibbs, 1863-1934, was the founder of the famed schools of business which bears her name. A resident of Edgewood area of Providence, she revolutionized stenography in 1911 with tenacity and vision that brought her to the forefront of American education. Today, thousands of Katherine Gibbs graduates, representing generations of Americans, owe their success to her foresight and imagination. The first of seven schools was originally opened in Providence. Read more >

Thomas Gilbane (1911-1981)

Inducted in 1977

Thomas Gilbane, 1911-1981, was a third generation Gilbane of Gilbane construction and President of Gilbane Construction Company. Thomas and his brother Bill built the company from a local firm to one of the top ten in the nation.

Thomas Gilbane was also a former star athlete at Brown University, prominent in Boy Scouts circles and active in United Fund drives, Heart Fund and other community projects. Read more >

William Gilbane (1909-1996)

Inducted in 1977

William Gilbane, 1909-1996, was Vice-President of Gilbane Construction, one of the largest firms in the country. He was known for being the Captain of Brown University's great 1932 football team, and was named "Big Brother of the Year" in 1956. William was General Chairman of the United Fund, and active in Boy Scouts and other civic endeavors. Read more >

Dr. Vartan Gregorian (1934-)

Inducted in 1998

Dr. Vartan Gregorian is an Armenian-American academic, a former president of Brown, Dr. Gregorian is now the president of Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Vartan Gregorian was born in Iran, and attended the College Armenien in Beirut, Lebanon, where he earned a degree in Armenian studies in 1955. Read more >

John Hackett

Inducted in 1982

The late John Hackett was a former Dean of the University of Rhode Island Extension Division. Under his leadership, the division grew to be one of the largest university extension divisions in the nation, offering college credit courses and degrees. He was responsible for instituting the URI Continuing Education of Women(CEW)Program. Read more >

Dr. Milton W. Hamolsky (1921-2014)

Inducted in 1996

Hamolsky, Milton W., 1921-2014

Dr. Hamolsky of Providence was the first full time Physician-In-Chief of Medicine at Rhode Island Hospital and a Professor of Medical Science at Brown University where he helped develop the Brown University Medical School. He was the first Chief Administrative Officer of the Board of Medical Licensure & Discipline for the State of Rhode Island. Read more >

Joseph P. Hassett

Inducted in 1997

Mr. Hassett, of East Greenwich, was one of Rhode Island's all-time basketball greats, two-time all-stater, schoolboy All-American, and most valuable player for LaSalle Academy. He later starred for Providence College, becoming the third highest scorer in Friars history. He was twice-named All-New England and as an All-American, played for the NBA's World Champion Seattle Supersonics. Read more >

John Milton Hay (1838-1905)

Inducted in 2008

Hay, John, 1838-1905

John Milton Hay was an Illinois native with deep Rhode Island roots that prompted him to select Brown as his college. Providence was the early home of his mother, Helen Leonard, whose father, Rev. David Leonard was in the Brown Class of 1792. At Brown, Hay was described as having “a retentive memory, a vivid imagination, and an ability to get along with the ladies. Read more >

Vice Admiral John T. Hayward (1908-1999)

Inducted in 1996

Margaret McKenna was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1945 to parents who were lifelong teachers and administrators in the Central Falls public school system. Her father was in the first graduating class at Providence College, and her mother was a graduate of Rhode Island College. Margaret attended Holy Trinity Elementary School in Central Falls and Sacred Heart High School in Pawtucket. She then received degrees from Emmanuel College and Southern Methodist University School of Law. Read more >

Frederick M. McKinnon

Inducted in 1993

Mr. McKinnon, a native of Pawtucket, was considered the father of youth soccer in Rhode Island. He was an elementary school teacher in the Pawtucket School System for thirty years, and Acting Director and Supervisor of the Pawtucket Recreation Department for 34 years. He is widely recognized for his contributions to youth and recreational activities in our state, and an accomplished musician and singer who performed as both an amateur and professional. Read more >

John McLaughlin

Inducted in 1984

John McLaughlin has been widely recognized for his civic service and contributions to many causes, including disadvantaged youth, and assisting underprivileged children. He was named R.I. "Big Brother of the Year" in 1982 and a recipient of the R. Read more >

De Ormand "Tuss" McLaughry (1893-1974)

Inducted in 1971

Tuss McLaughry, 1893-1974, was the famed coach of Brown University's "Iron Man" team of 1926. "Tuss" coached at Amherst for thirty-five years, then at Brown, and Dartmouth. He was President of the American Football Coaches Association, and the long-time Secretary of that organization. The Tuss McLaughry Award is given to a distinguished American (or Americans) for the highest distinction in service to others. Read more >

Dr. Eleanor M. McMahon (1929-2002)

Inducted in 1986

Dr. McMahon was the Rhode Island Commissioner of Higher Education and former Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Rhode Island College. A Brown University Alumni Trustee, she has been the recipient of five honorary doctoral degrees and is the author of twenty treatises on education .Beginning her distinguished career as a classroom teacher in Pawtucket, she devoted her life to education. Read more >

Alexander Meiklejohn (1872-1964)

Inducted in 2015

Alexander Meiklejohn, 1872-1964, Alexander Meiklejohn was a most unusual man, a dissenter in the mode of Roger Williams! He came to Rhode Island in 1880, when he was eight years old, the youngest son of a Scottish working class family. After a brief stay in Warwick, Alexander moved with his family to Pawtucket where he grew to manhood. He said of himself that he was brought up on the bible and “Bobbie” Burns, with an emphasis on the latter! His formal education came at Brown University where he studied, and later taught philosophy. A loyal alum he came back often to Brown from the various pursuits of his long life. Read more >

Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf (1830-1895)

Inducted in 1996

Metcalf, Helen Adelia Rowe, -- -1895.

Ms. Rowe Metcalf, formerly of Providence, was leader in the drive to establish the Rhode Island School of Design and devoted most of her time from 1878 to her death in 1895 to directing the School. Her influence and administrative skills enabled RISD to be founded with the goals of training artisans, teaching students the principles of art, and promoting appreciation of art, allowing it to become recognized as one of the most prestigious fine arts schools in the country. Read more >

Dr. Albert L. Midgely

Inducted in 1970

Dr. Albert Midgely was a pioneer in dental education. A prominent oral surgeon, he became a Founder, Secretary, and President of the American College of Dentistry. After serving on the Rhode Island Board of Dental Examiners for thirty-five years. Read more >

Dr. D. Scott Molloy, Jr.

Inducted in 2009

John E. Moran (1913-1997)

Inducted in 1986

Mr. Moran served as President and Co-founder of McLaughin & Moran Distributors, which was a recognized leader in its' feild for over fifty years. An outstanding all-state athlete out of LaSalle Academy, he starred for Manhatten College in football and baseball.

For the next fifty years, with time out for U. Read more >

Dr. William Augustus Mowry (1829-1917)

Inducted in 2010

Mowry, William A. (William Augustus), 1829-1917

Dr. William Augustus Mowry ranks among Rhode Island’s foremost educators. Besides writing a score of books (especially texts on history and civics), Mowry founded a highly-regarded private high school in Providence, pioneered in the establishment of teachers’ institutes, and served as superintendent of schools in Cranston and in Salem, Massachusetts. Read more >

Joseph Mullaney (1925-2000)

Inducted in 1970

Joseph Mullaney, 1925-2000, was both a Providence College basketball coach and the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association. Mullaney is credited with bringing national recognition to Rhode Island through the success of his Providence College Friars. Read more >

Dr. Mary C. Mulvey

Inducted in 1993

Dr. Mulvey, a nationally recognized expert in the problems of the elderly and concerns of gerontology who now makes Rhode Island her home, has been a pioneer advocate for older adults and successful in enacting legislation to establish a State Agency on Aging. She served as its’ administrator until returning to the Providence School Department, and later became the City’s Supervisor on Adult Education, after being named to the Federal Council on Aging. She is President Emeritus of The National Senior Citizens Education And Research Center Inc. Read more >

Florence Kerins Murray (1916-2004)

Inducted in 1980

Florence Kerins Murray, 1916-2004,was a high-ranking officer in the Women's Army Corps, Rhode Island's first female state senator (and was reelected four times), female judge and member of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Read more >

Dr. John Nazarian (1932-)

Inducted in 2003

Inductees in Education & Universities

Dr. James P. Adams (1895-1969)

Rev. Dr. Elisha Benjamin Andrews (1844-1917)

David L. Angell (1946-2001)

James Burrill Angell (1829-1916)

H. Cushman Anthony (1904-2000)

Joseph Banigan (1839-1898)

Henry Barnard (1811-1900)

Brother Adelard Beaudet (1884-1990)

Robert H. "Bob" Bennett (1913-1974)

Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753)

Maximilian D. Berlitz (1852-1921)

Helen A. Bert (1922-2002)

Thomas Williams Bicknell (1834-1925)

Dr. Bruce Macmillan Bigelow (1903-1954)

General John Bruce Blount (1928-)

John Nicholas Brown (1900-1979)

Joseph Brown (1733-1785)

Moses Brown (1738-1836)

Nicholas Brown, II (1769-1841)

John Carter Brown (1797-1874)

Harold W. Browning (1893-1987)

Joseph E. Buonanno, Sr. (1910-1991)

Sydney Richmond Burleigh (1853-1931)

Billie Ann Burrill (1921-2010)

Dr. Joseph E. Cannon (1911-1989)

Dr. Charles Carroll (1876-1936)

Dr. John Bates Clark (1847-1938)

John Collier (1907-1984)

Dr. Leon Cooper (1930-)

Diane L. Coutu (1953-)

Prudence Crandall (1803-1890)

Helen Metcalf Danforth (1887-1984)

William M. Davies, Jr.

Cardinal John Dearden (1907-1988)

Dr. Eric Denoff (1913-1982)

Reverend John Byron Diman (1863-1949)

Alexander DiMartino (1907-2001)

Rev. Vincent C. Dore (1900-)

George T. Downing (1819-1903)

Sarah Elizabeth Doyle (1830-1922)

Daniel E. Doyle (1949-)

Dr.Solomon Drowne (1753-1834)

Thomas E. Eccleston (1910-2001)

Fritz Eichenberg (1901-1990)

Charles A. "Rip" Engle (1906-1983)

Dr. William H.P. Faunce (1859-1930)

Fred Friendly (1915-1998)

Ivan Fuqua (1909-1994)

Norma Ann (Bergquist) Garnett, Ed.D. (1930-)

Gov. J. Joseph Garrahy (1930-2012)

Robert Gaudreau (1944-)

David Gavitt (1937-2011)

Katharine Gibbs (1863-1934)

Thomas Gilbane (1911-1981)

William Gilbane (1909-1996)

Dr. Vartan Gregorian (1934-)

Dr. Milton W. Hamolsky (1921-2014)

John Milton Hay (1838-1905)

Vice Admiral John T. Hayward (1908-1999)

De Ormand "Tuss" McLaughry (1893-1974)

Dr. Eleanor M. McMahon (1929-2002)

Alexander Meiklejohn (1872-1964)

Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf (1830-1895)

Dr. D. Scott Molloy, Jr.

John E. Moran (1913-1997)

Dr. William Augustus Mowry (1829-1917)

Joseph Mullaney (1925-2000)

Florence Kerins Murray (1916-2004)

Dr. John Nazarian (1932-)

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