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LaSalle began in 1871 as a result of discussions among Bishop Francis McFarland and Rev. Michael Tierney, rector of the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul and Brother Patrick (Murphy), the American provincial of a teaching order of French origin called the Christian Brothers (F.S.C.) of St. John the Baptist de la Salle. The concluding
By Larry Reid Musical prodigy, concert pianist, and educator Raymond Thompson Jackson, Jr. became the first African American, first musician, and youngest person at that time to be inducted into The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame (1966). He was born on December 11, 1933, in Providence, Rhode Island. His mother and father were beauticians
By Ken Dooley Ruth C. Hussey was a film, stage, and television actress who primarily played witty, sophisticated professional women and strong, noble wives. Hussey appeared in forty feature films. She was a beautiful brunette, standing about five feet, five inches tall, and a reliable actress who projected grace, poise, and intelligence. Those qualities made
By Russell DeSimone Edward M. Fay spent his life in the entertainment industry as a violinist, conductor, vaudeville impresario, poet, and motion picture theater owner. He owned at least six different theaters between 1928 and 1977 and was called by the Providence Journal the “Dean of Rhode Island Entertainment.” He was born in South Providence
By Patrick T. Conley This article first appeared as a Providence Journal commentary. An enlarged, illustrated version was published in the summer 2009 issue of Steamboat Bill, the Rhode Island-based Steamship Historical Society of America journal. My interest in Rhode Island immigration stemmed from my research into the history of Catholicism in Rhode Island, a
By Michael Levesque Thomas Eadie enlisted in the Navy in July 1905, shortly after he’d turned 18. Trained as a gunner’s mate and as a diver, he remained in the service until 1913, when he moved to Newport. He married Margaret Gerrie of Newport, and they had a daughter named Marion. Eadie returned to the
By Patrick T. Conley Now that the dust (and the dirt) of the latest presidential race has settled, it may be instructive to look back and view Rhode Island’s crucial role in the most bizarre and problematic presidential contest of them all. No, it was not Bush vs. Gore. In 1876, New York’s Democratic governor,
By Patrick T. Conley Two centuries before English novelist Charles Dickens created Ebenezer Scrooge, who dismissed Christmas with a disgruntled “bah-humbug,” the early New England settlers had done the same. The popular depiction of a New England colonial Christmas is a fairy tale, In 17th century New England, Christmas was not even a holiday, let
In 1980 the courts of Bristol and Providence counties were merged, and since then all cases from Barrington, Warren, and Bristol have been heard in Providence. Biweekly sessions of the state traffic court continued in the Bristol Statehouse for a few years thereafter, but by 1986 the only user and occupant of the deteriorating building
Patrick T. Conley delivered this speech to Bristol High School graduates in 1976. Every high school graduate of any year, of any state, will benefit from the wisdom and advice from Rhode Island’s Historian Laureate. I am honored to have been asked, in my capacity as state Bicentennial chairman, to address you on the occasion
A world-renowned doctor, medical researcher, and leader in medical education, Dr. Stanley M. Aronson was a co-founder of Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island and served as a mentor to generations of physicians and medical students. Besides his medical roles, Dr. Aronson was perhaps best known to Rhode Islanders for his weekly columns in
By Patrick T. Conley The 1841-42 fight over democracy in Rhode Island, often called “the Dorr Rebellion,” had an ugly anti-Catholic element that persisted for decades in state politics. When reformers led by patrician Thomas Wilson Dorr framed a “People’s Constitution” to replace the outdated royal charter of 1663, opponents invoked the ethnic card. Among
By Patrick T. Conley Al Klyberg’s sudden death in January 2017 brought to an end a friendship and historical collaboration I had shared with him for over forty-six years —ever since he introduced himself to me upon his Rhode Island arrival in 1968 at the suggestion of Bill Joyce, his colleague in the graduate school
Erik J. Chaput Russell J. DeSimone
By Patrick T. Conley My long-time friend, attorney Tom McAndrew of the large and influential McAndrew clan of Westerly, is also the son-in-law of the congressman. He married Mary Fogarty, John’s only child. Together, they have preserved the memory of Congressman Fogarty and continue supporting his good works through the Fogarty International Center at the