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The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame was established in the State of Rhode Island in 1965.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2019) |
The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame was established in the State of Rhode Island in 1965.
The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame
exists to honor and recognize, and to extol and publicize the achievements of those Rhode Island men and women who have, in the words of the Hall of Fame induction citation, 'made significant contributions to their community, state, and/or nation.' It is also our mission to tell the story of Rhode Island History via interactive technology using the biographies of our inductees, noting their collective impact upon every phase of Rhode Island's development. Eligible membership may include those who are native born, those whose reputations have been made while residents of the state, and those who have adopted Rhode Island as their permanent home. [1]
The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame is managed by a president, vice president, recording secretary, corresponding secretary, and treasurer, with an active board of about twenty members, who serve as the electors to the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. [2] They receive formal, written nominations from the general public at the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame, 1445 Wampanoag Trail, Unit 201, East Providence RI 02915.
Nearly 800 men and women have been inducted into the Rhode Island Hall of Fame, representing all walks of life and areas of achievement, including Native Americans from the earliest days of the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
This institution caused controversy when convicted felon Michael Flynn was inducted for 2024, causing an exodus of board members and one inductee to decline their invitation. [3]
Catherine Michelle Granato is an American former ice hockey player and one of the first women to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2010. She currently works as an assistant general manager for the Vancouver Canucks organization. Granato was the captain of the U.S. women's hockey team that won a gold medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics. She is the younger sister of former NHL player Tony Granato and former Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato, and a graduate of Providence College. Granato played hockey for Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Edward Davis Jones was an American statistician and journalist. Jones is best known as the "Jones" in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and as a co-founder of The Wall Street Journal.
William Smith Flynn of Providence, Rhode Island, was the 54th Governor of Rhode Island from 1923 to 1925. He was a progressive Democrat.
Nicholas Brown Jr. was an American businessman and philanthropist from Providence, Rhode Island, and the namesake of Brown University.
Robert Emmet Quinn was an American attorney and politician from Rhode Island. He served as the 58th Governor of Rhode Island and Judge for the Rhode Island Superior Court.
Helen Adelia Metcalf was a founder and director of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, Rhode Island.
Patrice Wood, born Holly Patrice Wood, is an American journalist, who works as the main news anchor for WJAR, the NBC affiliate in Providence, Rhode Island. She also serves as the education reporter and the Tuesday´s Child segment host. She was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame Women Inductees. She was also inducted into the Rhode Island Radio and Television Hall of Fame.
The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame is a non-profit, volunteer organization that recognizes those who have brought credit, prominence, or contributions to the heritage or history of Rhode Island.
Joseph Henry Gainer was the 26th mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. He served seven terms, from 1913 until 1927.
June Rockwell Levy (1886-1971) was an American philanthropist who was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame alongside her husband in 1999. In 1963, she received the Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II. She was known as the "First Lady of Burrillville."
Carole Garnett-Wheeler was a competitive swimmer from Rhode Island. Born in Narragansett, Rhode Island, she was a member of the U.S. women's swim team during the 1924 Paris Olympics. After retirement, she coached swimming and diving.
Fanny Purdy Palmer was an American author, poet, journalist, lecturer, social activist, and clubwoman. She began club work in 1876 and was one of the originators of the General Federation of Women's Clubs. She served as president of the Rhode Island Woman's Club, was a member of the school committee of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, and was connected with various philanthropic and social movements, including women's suffrage. A diligent reader of some of the best scientific and metaphysical works, for many years, she was a writer of stories which appeared in various weekly and monthly publications, stories which have dealt with the problems of life.
Margaret F. Ackroyd was a civil servant from Providence, Rhode Island. Ackroyd was named the Providence Journal's Man of the Year in 1971, and she was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1972.
Anna Tucker was a civil servant and administrator who served as the director of the Division of Women and Children, and, later, the Director of Elderly Affairs for the state of Rhode Island. She also served as Director of the National Association of State Units on Aging and served on the board of directors for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and on the Rhode Island Women's Commission. She was inducted in the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1981. The Anna Tucker Women's Athletic Scholarship at the University of Rhode Island was named in her honor.
Katherine Urquhart Warren was a co-founder and first president of the Preservation Society of Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. She was posthumously inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1981.
Olive F. Wiley was an African American civil rights activist and education administrator born in Warwick, Rhode Island. Wiley was a founder and president of the Mt. Hope Day Care. She met her husband William Wiley (editor), in Providence, Rhode Island in 1921, and they were married in 1925.
Maria Spacagna is an American soprano; she is known for being the first American-born opera singer to play the title role in Madame Butterfly at La Scala in Milan, Italy where the opera premiered. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Spacagna trained at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where she earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees. Spacagna had her Metropolitan Opera House debut as Luisa Miller in Luisa Miller opposite Luciano Pavarotti in 1991, and performed in 13 productions there. She played the title role in Madame Butterfly on the 1995 Vox Records recording, the first-ever full recording of the opera. In 1997, Spacagna won the top prize at the Verdi Competition in Bussetto, Italy. She was inducted to the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame that year.
Martha Lucy Rawlings Tootell was an American schoolteacher and politician who served in the Rhode Island House of Representatives. She represented District 52 from 1973 until 1977.
Theodore Stowell (1847-1916) was an early president of Bryant College.
Edmund W. Flynn was the chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from January 1, 1935 to April 28, 1957.