Year Inducted: 1988
Arlan R. Coolidge - Mr. Arlan Coolidge, a Providence resident, was an internationally renowned violinist and a graduate of Brown University. He and served as Chairman of Brown's Department of Music for thirty-one years, served as Executive Director of the Arts Rhode Island, and as Chairman of several Governor's Commissions on fine arts. He was also involved with the…
Domina C. Jalbert - Mr. Domina Jalbert was a world renowned researcher and inventor of parachutes, sails, and kites. He was born in Quebec but lived for many years in Woonsocket, RI. He was the designer of the Dolly Spinnaker for the yacht Stars & Stripes, which won the 1987 America's Cup. He was a track star in his…
Francis J. McCabe - Judge Francis McCabe was the First Chief Judge of Rhode Island Family Court. Born in Providence, he attended Hope High School and Providence College. He later became Providence City Solicitor, a probate judge, and Chief Judge of the former Juvenile Court. He was an acknowledged expert on the rehabilitation and understanding of the juvenile offender…
George L. Sutcliffe - George Sutcliffe was a WWII flying ace whose heroic exploits as a fighter pilot have been chronicled in several books, as he flew eighty missions as a highly decorated war hero. He was Founder and owner of a very successful and nationally recognized insurance firm in Smithfeild, RI, was active in the Big Brothers Association,…
Joseph Gomes - Most Rhode Islanders recognize the strong relationship between their state and professional baseball at major and minor league levels. Few, however, are aware that this connection extends to the professional Black teams in the Negro Leagues during the age of racial segregation in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. In those years, African Americans participated in…
Marion F. Avarista - Ms. Marion Avarista was founder of the Traveler's Aid Runaway Youth Project and developer of the Travelers Aid Medical Van providing free service for the homeless in Providence. A Cranston resident, she is one of those most responsible for the growth and development of the Traveler's Aid Society in RI and is a very active…
Nelly Ayvasian - Mr. Nelly Ayvasian is the retired Executive Director of the International Institute of Rhode Island. Born in the Soviet Union, and severely wounded during World War II, he was imprisoned in a German labor camp before coming to live in Warwick, RI. He joined the Institute staff in 1959 and over the years helped thousands…
Raymond Mathewson Hood - Raymond M. Hood has been called the last great architect of America’s Metropolitan era. He is best known for his designs of the Tribune Tower, American Radiator Building, and Rockefeller Center. Through a short yet highly successful career, Hood exerted an outsized influence on twentieth century architecture. He was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island on March 29, 1881, to John Parmenter…
Thomas E. Eccleston - Thomas Eccleston was a famed Rhode Island educational administrator, teacher, and coach, whose Burrillville teams won several state titles in baseball, football, and hockey. He continued on as a hockey coach, becoming what was believed to be the oldest high school coach in the United States. A former Principal and Superintendent in Burrillville, he was…
