Year Inducted: 1985
Dr Vincent J. Turco - Dr. Vincent Turco was a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon and specialist in clubfoot. The son of Italian immigrants, he was born in Newark, New Jersey, on Sep. 10, 1916. The family moved to Westerly, Rhode Island when he was six, and he attended public schools in the area. In 1937, he graduated from the University of…
H. Cushman Anthony - H. Cushman Anthony devoted his life to the youth of Rhode Island and was affectionately known as "Mr. Boy Scout." He spent 53 years with the Narragansett Council Boy Scouts of America, starting in 1915 as a member of the Third Providence Troop and rising to assume top-level ranks beginning in 1927. He quickly became…
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 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 born in Providence, Rhode Island, to Alfred and Elizabeth (Stoneman), Russian immigrants, on Aug. 11, 1906. He had two brothers, Edgar and Norman, and…
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, 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. "Dixie" Matthews was considered one of the finest athletes Rhode Island has ever produced. He was born in Providence on Dec. 2, 1908, son of Charles and Mary Matthews. He was an incredible all-around athlete who excelled at baseball, basketball, and football. He captained the basketball team at Technical High School, was an…
