Year Inducted: 1976
Daniel P. Reilly - Father Daniel P. Reilly, 1907-1962, a native of South Providence, was ordained as a Catholic Priest in 1953. He then went on to become personal secretary to Bishop McVinney, and rose to Chancellor and then Vicar General of the Providence Diocese. On August 6, 1975, he was installed as Bishop of Norwich. …
David Hartman - David Hartman, from Pawtucket, starred in The Bold Ones, and Lucas Tanner, establishing him as a top ranked television star. As anchorman on NBC's Good Morning America from 1975-1987, he also did yeoman's work behind the scenes for Jerry Lewis's telethon for Muscular Dystrophy. …
Dr. Anthony Corvese - Dr. Anthony Corvese, a veteran physician, was the first Italian-American to intern at Rhode Island Hospital. He was instrumental in organizing the first free children's dental clinic in the state, he also established a gynecological and surgical clinic at The House of the Good Shepherd. He was also a medical pioneer in the use of… …
Dr. Henry M. Wriston - Born in Laramie, Wyoming, Henry Merritt Wriston was the son of Henry Lincoln Wriston, a Methodist minister and Jennie Amelia (Atcheson) Wriston, a schoolteacher. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in English literature in 1911 and his Master of Arts the following year, both from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He continued his studies at Harvard… …
Edward Mitchell Bannister - Edward M. Bannister was a nationally famous painter during the 19th century. He was a self-taught pioneer among African-American artists, and won a national award during the U.S. centennial celebration, in 1876. …
Frank F. Frisch - Frank Frisch was born to German parents in Bronx, New York on September 9, 1898. He was a collegiate sports superstar, playing for Fordham University's baseball, basketball, football and track teams. Nicknamed the "Fordham Flash," Frisch would not finish his undergraduate career at Fordham. Instead, he contracted with the New York Giants in 1919. The… …
George R. Ramsbottom - George Ramsbottom, 1888-1979, was a Pawtucket industrialist who was President-Treasurer of the Seekonk Lace Company. An angel to the Pawtucket Boys Club, he gave them Camp Ramsbottom for summer recreation. He was also active in Red Cross and Community Chest drives. Ramsbottom is also credited with helping to write the Pawtucket City Charter. …
James Joseph, James Edward (“Scoops”), and John Walter Cooney - The Cooney family of Cranston was Rhode Island’s first family of baseball and the first family inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Father James Cooney was born in Cranston on July 9, 1865 and sons Henry (b. 1892), Frank (b. 1893), James E. (Jimmy Jr. - b. August 24, 1894) and John… …
James Joseph, James Edward (“Scoops”), and John Walter Cooney Read More »
Oliver G. Pratt - Oliver G. Pratt was Superintendent of Rhode Island Hospital for many years. He received citations from many national health organizations and was considered one of the foremost administrators of hospitals in the nation. …
Rocky Marciano - Rocky Marciano, 1923-1969, was the world's undefeated heavy-weight boxing champion from 1952 to 1956 when he shocked the sports world by retiring at the age of thirty-two. Although he came from Brockton, MA, many Rhode Island sports fans adopted him since he fought the majority of his contests in Providence’s now demolished Providence Auditorium on… …
S. J. Perelman - S. J. Perelman, 1904-1979, was born in Brooklyn, NY, but moved to Smith Hill in Providence at an early age. Perelman attended Classical High School and matriculated at Brown University, but did not graduate. However, he did receive an honorary Doctorate in 1965 from this "Institution on the Hill." Perelman wrote several screen stories for… …
Sevellon Brown - Sevellon Brown was born in Washington, D.C. on November 23, 1886, and worked as a reporter for the Washington bureau of the United Press, the New York Star, and the New York Herald during the heyday of newspaper reporting. His newspaper career was interrupted, however, with America’s entry into the First World War in April… …
U.S. Senator and Governor J. Howard McGrath - Governor, Senator, U.S. Solicitor General, and Attorney General, J. Howard McGrath had compiled an impressive resume by the time he reached his fiftieth year. Born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island on November 28, 1903, he was the second son of Irish mill worker James J. and his wife Ida (May) McGrath. Leaving the Blackstone Valley area… …
