Year Inducted: 1967
Albert Henry “Hank” Soar - Hank Soar was arguably the most talented, versatile athlete ever to come from Rhode Island. He was born in Alton, Rhode Island, on August 17, 1914, to Arthur and Edith (Nelson) Soar. He played football, basketball, and baseball at Pawtucket High School and captained all three teams. Soar also played goalie in soccer. He was…
Captain Robert Gray - On August 10, 1790, a week before George Washington completed his trip from New York City to Rhode Island to acknowledge and celebrate the reluctant thirteenth state's entrance to the Union, Captain Robert Gray of Tiverton completed another journey in Boston harbor: he was the first American to circumnavigate the world. Gray--who has remained relatively…
Congressman John Edward Fogarty - 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 National Institutes of Health…
David Patten - David Patten, 1888-1975, former managing-editor of The Providence Journal-Bulletin, was a Massachusetts native who spent school vacations and several winters at his grandfather's 260-acre farm in Little Compton, Rhode Island. His career in Providence newspapers as a reporter and editor lasted 35 years. He entertained thousands with his stories of old-time Rhode Island, especially those…
Dr. Bruce Macmillan Bigelow - 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. "Bruce…
Dr. Francis H. Horn - Dr. Francis Horn was a prominent educator and world traveler who served as the sixth president of the University of Rhode Island from 1958 to 1967. Horn, a mid-westerner, held a doctorate in education from Yale and served in several posts including president of the Pratt Institute in New York prior to his arrival at…
Dr. William H.P. Faunce - Dr. William H. P. Faunce, 1859-1930, was most notable for being president of Brown University from 1899 to 1929. He is considered one of the great educational administrators and orators of his time. A Brown graduate, he taught freshman mathematics before leaving Brown to attend Theological Seminary and later Divinity School. Faunce accepted the presidency…
Eileen Farrell - Throughout Eileen Farrell’s remarkable life, she always possessed two attributes- a big, irreverent attitude and an even bigger voice. When the first threatened to hold her back, the latter always rescued her – guaranteeing her success in the competitive world of professional singing. Primarily an opera singer, she was always uneasy with what she perceived…
Ernest A. Calverley - 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…
Frankie Carle - Frankie Carle, 1903-2001, a native of Providence who became world famous as a pianist and composer, began studying the piano at the age of 5, and wrote his first song at age 13. He was the author of "Sunrise Serenade", "Falling Leaves", and "Lover's Lullaby". Born Francis Nunzio Carlone on March 25, 1903 to a…
Fred Friendly - 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…
Fredrick Douglass “Fritz” Pollard - Fritz Pollard achieved legendary status at Brown University, compiling “firsts” as frequently as he gained first downs for the football team. He was the first African American to play in the Rose Bowl and the first to be named all-American by Walter Camp, who described Pollard as “one of the greatest runners these eyes have…
Governor William Sprague - Governor William Sprague, 1830-1915, was a member of the Sprague family of industrial and political prominence. William became the "Boy Governor" of Rhode Island at age 30 on a Unionist-Republican-Fusion ticket and shortly thereafter led the first Rhode Island Regiment into combat at the First Battle of Bull Run. He became a U.S. Senator in…
Hugh Duffy - Hugh Duffy, 1866-1954, from Cranston, was one of major league baseball's greatest hitters and is still the holder of the single-season batting average record of .438, set in 1894, when Duffy was an outfielder for Boston in the National League. In seventeen major league seasons from 1888 through 1906, Duffy compiled a lifetime average of…
John DeWolf - John DeWolf – (September 6, 1779- March 8, 1872) was a member of the famous and wealthy clan of Bristol merchants. Although Captain Robert Gray of Tiverton (see Rhode Island Founders) became the first American to circumnavigate the globe in 1790 aboard his ship Columbia, John DeWolf became the first American (and probably the first…
Joseph Whalen - Joseph Whalen, a former president of Bostich, Inc., developed a small stapling-machine plant into one of the state's major industries. His corporation became one of the world leaders in its field.
Leonard Randolph “Lenny” Wilkens - Grew up the Bedford-Stuyvesant streets of Brooklyn, son of an African American father and an Irish mother. His father died when he was quite young, and the family was forced into welfare. He learned to play basketball on the playgrounds of Brooklyn and later earned a scholarship to Providence College. At Providence, Lenny matured, gained…
Ruth Carol Hussey (Longenecker) - 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 her a natural…
