Month: April 2024

Pleasure the means, the end virtue. By Russell J. DeSimone Once upon a time, and in living memory, at least for some of us, there were a number of movie houses in the downtown Providence area; and most city neighborhoods had a movie theater as well. I was one of the lucky ones, not only

By Larry Reid WEAN was founded by John Shepherd, grandson of the founder of Shepherd’s Department Stores. Shepherd was a controversial figure in the early days of radio. Some found him ruthless and abrasive, but he was also an innovator. His slogan was “news while it is news.” Two months after he founded WEAN, Joseph

By Michael Levesque DeOrmond “Tuss” McLaughry is best known for his triple-wing formations and the Brown University “Iron Men” – the only undefeated football team in the school’s history.It was 1926, the first year as Brown head coach for McLaughry, when the “Iron Men” legend was born. It began with Yale, rated as the East’s

By Ken Dooley On April 20, 2024, the Boston Celtics will go after their eighteenth NBA championship. The Celtics are regarded as one of the most successful teams in NBA history and are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most NBA championships with seventeen. Louis Pieri was co-owner of the NBA’s Providence Steamrollers, one

By Russell DeSimone The tradition of Halloween on October 31 comes from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, the Celtic New Year, celebrated on November 1 because that was the end of summer and harvest time (life) and the beginning of winter (death). It was also the time for ghosts to return to earth for

By Larry Reid A statue of George M. Cohan, the only person to be so honored, stands at the entrance to Broadway in Manhattan. A good case can be made that a second Rhode Islander deserves such an honor. Eddie Dowling, born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, was an actor, director, playwright, screenwriter, composer, and theatrical