Year Inducted: 2024
Brigadier General Michael T. Byrnes - Brigadier General Michael T. Byrnes, U.S. Army Ret, born on February 10, 1940, passed away after a long illness on January 9, 2023. A native of Bristol, he was a son of the late Thomas H. and Constance G. (Campanella) Byrnes, Jr. Michael’s father was a state representative, Bristol town administrator and a founder of…
Edmund D. “Ted” Fuller III - Ted Fuller was born in Pawtucket on June 4, 1935. He began his career working for his father who ran a small Rhode Island chain, “Donut Kettle.” He parlayed this after-school job into a successful career in the food service industry. After graduating from St. Raphael Academy in 1952 and a stint at Bryant College, he…
Leonard Bacon - Leonard Bacon, a poet, translator, critic, and professor, was born on May 26, 1887, in Solvay, New York, the son of Nathaniel Bacon and Helen Hazard. He grew up at his mother's familial estate in Peace Dale, Rhode Island. He came from a family of Congregationalist ministers, including the clergymen relatives for which he was…
Lincoln Carter Almond - Lincoln C. (“Linc”) was elected governor of the State of Rhode Island in 1994, making him the first Rhode Island governor to serve a four-year term. As a former U.S. Attorney, he was elected based on his pledge to govern with honesty and integrity, to restore Rhode Islanders’ faith in their elected leaders, and to…
Peter C. Fontaine - If you read the Sports section of West Bay newspapers, you most likely saw Pete Fontaine’s byline. Pete was synonymous with sports. Honored by his peers on numerous occasions, including the 6th State Group of Writing Excellence and Words Unlimited, (an organization for sports writers and announcers), Pete also had his own local radio program featuring his…
Raymond T. Dwyer - Ray Dwyer was an outstanding athlete, teacher, coach and nationally recognized sports official throughout his long, accomplished life in Rhode Island. Born in the Rumford section of East Providence on July 21, 1923, Ray was the son of Edward M. and Mary F. (nee Mather) Dwyer. His track prowess began as a student at LaSalle…
Reverend Adin Ballou - Adin Ballou was an American proponent of Christian nonresistance, Christian anarchism, and Christian socialism. He was also an abolitionist. During his long career as a Universalist and Unitarian minister, he tirelessly advocated for the immediate abolition of slavery and the principles of Christianity. His prolific writings promoted the nonviolent theory of praxis (or moral suasion). Adin Ballou was born in Cumberland on April 23, 1803,…
U.S. Marshal John J. Leyden - The Rhode Island Law Enforcement community lost a true champion, when North Kingstown’s John J. “Jack” Leyden passed away on March 3, 2021, at the age of 89. Born in the Smith Hill section of Providence on July 3, 1931, Jack was the son of Thomas and Katherine (McGovern) Leyden, along with brothers Thomas and…