Year Inducted: 1985
Dr Vincent J. Turco - Dr. Vincent Turco, 1916-1999, was one of the world's foremost authorities on treatment of clubfoot. He served as Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, CT, and Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale University and the University of Connecticut Medical Schools. He was a visiting professor and guest lecturer to 13 countries, as…
H. Cushman Anthony - J. Cushman Anthony, 1904-2000, was known as "Mr. Boy Scout" in Rhode Island. He was also known as "Gus", as he dedicated a lifetime to the youth of our community and gave of himself in aiding the elderly. He spent fifty-three years with the Narragansett Boy Scouts Council of America, starting in 1915 as a…
Henry J. Tasca - Henry J. Tasca, 1912-1979, was U.S. Ambassador to Greece and Morocco, and several other European countries as a career diplomat and key foreign service official. A native of Providence who spent most of his childhood in Philadelphia, he studied at both Temple and Pennsylvania Universities. A specialist in economic and financial affairs, he retired and…
Irving J. Fain - Irving J. Fain, 1906-1970, was a philanthropist, successful businessman, and community leader whose perseverance and ideals almost single-handedly led to the establishment of a fair housing law in Rhode Island. He was raised in Lippitt Hill, now University Heights, an American landmark mixture of races and economic backgrounds he helped to create. He was a…
John C.A. Watkins - John C.A. Watkins, 1912-2000, was Publisher and Chairman of the Board of the Providence Journal-Bulletin beginning in 1974. His journalistic career began in Dayton, Ohio, in 1934, and he came to these newspapers in 1945 as assistant to the publisher. Throughout his leadership and direction, Rhode island's major news sources became considered among the finest…
Mayor Walter H. Reynolds - Mayor Walter Reynolds, 1901-1987, known as "Barney", served seven consecutive terms as Mayor of Providence, totaling fourteen years of service.He was the City's Chief Executive during times of great accomplishment and growth. A public servant for more than thirty-five years, beginning in 1935, he received numerous national, regional, and local awards for excellence in various…
Richard J. Reynolds - Richard J. Reynolds was, for thirty-two years, the schoolboy sports editor for the Providence Journal-Bulletin and one of Rhode Island's greatest ambassadors of goodwill. He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University, where he was a Wayland Scholar and later a sports information director. He was single-handedly responsible for the highly successful People-to-People…
William D. & Olive F. Wiley - Mr. William (b. 1898) & Mrs. Olive F. Wiley (b.1903) were husband and wife for more than sixty years, many of which were devoted to their fellow man. William edited R.I.'s first African-American newspaper, the Providence Chronicle, for twenty years, while working full-time for the U.S. Postal Service. He was a co-founder and President of…
William H. Matthews - William H. Matthews was the former First Deputy City Clerk of Providence, and considered by many as the finest athlete the state has produced. "Dixie", as he was known to all, was considered by leaders of the city's African-American community as their "first but unofficial" City Councilman. Born in Providence, he retired after thirty-eight years…
