Year Inducted: 2023
Barbara Papitto - Barbara A. Papitto was born in Providence on April 4, 1951, to Emile and Flora (Dandeneau) Auger. The youngest of five siblings, she grew up in the Wanskuck neighborhood of Providence with her four brothers. Her parents worked in local mills and factories, earning only minimum wage. Yet, even on the tightest budgets, her mother,…
Corporal David Bernard Champagne - David B. Champagne was a corporal in the United States Marine Corps who received the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty" inaction op Hill 104 during the Korean War. David was born as the middle of three sons…
Gail Cahalan-Conley - GAIL CAHALAN - CONLEY - PHILANTHROPIST, BUSINESSWOMAN, REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER Gail Cahalan-Conley was born in Central Falls on August 29, 1943, at Notre Dame Hospital. On her father’s side she was Irish and French-Canadian; on her mother’s side she was a mixture of Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian Slavic ancestry. Gail was educated in the public…
Gene Valicenti - This year, Gene Valicenti crosses over the 30-year mark at WJAR, starting as a freelance reporter in the summer of 1992. As co-anchor of the top-rated NBC 10 News at 6, host of the "10 News Conference" political program, and morning man for WPRO radio, Gene has deservedly come to be known as "Rhode Island's…
James R. Winoker - James Winoker, CEO of Belvoir Properties was honored at his 70th Brown University reunion where he was given the opportunity to present the diploma to his graduating grandson. Winoker’s history of accomplishments and contributions to the city of Providence is highlighted by his efforts to redevelop the Jewelry District, a project which he began over…
Judge James E. Dooley - James E. Dooley was a leading sports figure in Rhode Island. He became part owner of the Providence Steam Roller of the National Football League from 1916 until 1933, when the team folded. The 1928 team won the NFL Championship with an 8-1-2 record. Dooley was one of the founders of the Canadian-American (Can-Am) Hockey League in 1926, as well as the founder…
Lynn Singleton - Lynn Singleton joined the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) as President in 1983, transforming it from near bankruptcy to one of the premier not-for-profit theatres in North America. Over his tenure, PPAC's number of events has more than tripled, and attendance has increased to over 350,000 patrons annually, accumulating a $50 million reserve from retained…
Nazzareno Meloccaro - Nazzareno Meloccaro, the son of Luigi and Giovannina Meloccaro, was born into humble beginnings in Pontecorvo, Italy on February 23, 1903. He came to Rhode Island in 1920 where he found employment as a carpenter. The young enterprising Meloccaro in his spare time soon began the study of blueprint reading and elementary architecture; within three…
Ojetta R. Thompson - Ojetta R. Thompson was born in Anderson, South Carolina on August 8, 1951. Her mother was a teacher, and her father was a school principal. Her hometown was Greenville, a municipality named for Rhode Island Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene who is regarded as a liberator of the South from British rule. From kindergarten through…
Peter Laudatti - Peter Laudatti was a dominant figure in the history of sports in Rhode Island during the first half of the 20th century. He was involved in numerous sporting ventures, including bicycling, baseball, boxing, football, and soccer. Born in 1884 at Sante Croce del Sannio in Italy, he immigrated to the United States with his family…
Robert “Bob” Venturini - Bob Venturini is the producer and host of two award-winning cable TV shows: “An Hour With Bob’s Variety Show” is the longest running variety show in New England and “Bob’s Big Adventures.” Both are in their 31st year. Bob has been called by the Providence Journal “the Johnny Carson of public access cable television.” Bob…
Robert “Rocky” Kempenaar II - Robert “Rocky” Kempenaar II is a highly successful businessman in the field of commercial real estate and development specializing in the hospitality (hotels) segment of the industry throughout Middletown, Portsmouth, and Newport, as well as in other New England states. In addition to his proven busi-ness acumen, Mr. Kempenaar is a pillar of the Aquidneck…
Sergeant William G. Fournier - William Grant Fournier was a sergeant in the United States Army who received the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously "for gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty" in the Pacific Theater during World War II. William was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on June 21, 1913, to Olive (Gaudreau) and Alfred C. Fournier.…
Sergeant William James Babcock - William James Babcock was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor as a member of the Second Rhode Island Volunteers Infantry Regiment on April 4, 1865 at the pivotal Battle of Petersburg in Virginia. His brief Medal of Honor citation (common for the time) reads: "Planted the flag upon the parapet while the enemy still occupied…
Steve Kass - Moderator, disc jockey, and radio and television personality Steve Kass has served the local broadcast industry for over fifty years. He began broadcasting as a disc jockey on WRIB in 1958 and immediately changed his name from Katz to Kass. "I changed my name when I became a rock and roll DJ on WRIB radio.…
Vincent Madonna - Further back than any reader of today can recollect, Providence was once home to one of the nation’s more important sporting venues. Before the Dunk or the Rhode Island Auditorium were built, and even before the appearance of nearby Massachusetts sports centers like the Seekonk Speedway (“Action Track of the East”) and Gillette Stadium in…
