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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
Henry F. Lippitt came from an old and distinguished American family. In 1638, John Lippitt of Warwick, England, arrived in Rhode Island. He bought one of the original home lots in Providence and was instrumental in organizing the colony. Lippitt’s family fought in the American Revolution, attended St. John’s Episcopal Church, farmed the land around
John M. Murphy Sr. was born on June 19, 1938, in the Fox Point section of Providence. His parents, Jeremiah, and Catherine (Healy) Murphy, emigrated from Ireland and settled in Rhode Island in 1927. He was one of two siblings. John graduated from Hope High School in 1956 and attended Bryant College. He joined the
Charles H. Dow and Edward D. Jones, were reporters, one for the Providence Journal and one for the Providence Morning Star and Evening Press. The names of these former Rhode Island journalists are now synonymous with money and finance. Dow, Charles H. (Charles Henry), 1851-1902 Charles Henry Dow (1851-1902) was born in Sterling, Connecticut on
Merrill W. Sherman, Principal of Sherman Consulting, LLC., and former president and CEO of the Bancorp Rhode Island, Inc., a publicly traded bank holding company, and its wholly owned subsidiary, Bank Rhode Island. She was Rhode Island’s only female CEO of a publicly held bank and made Bank Rhode Island a premier economic force in
Mr. Hassett, of East Greenwich, was one of Rhode Island’s all-time basketball greats, two-time all-stater, schoolboy All-American, and most valuable player for LaSalle Academy. He later starred for Providence College, becoming the third highest scorer in Friars history. He was twice-named All-New England and as an All-American, played for the NBA’s World Champion Seattle Supersonics.
Quality traits such as curiosity, courage, and counter-intuition have characterized key moments of Royal Little’s life. A natural inquiring mind led him to insights others missed or thought not possible, most notably his invention of the business conglomerate, Textron, a company comprised of separate, unrelated, diversified manufacturing enterprises. Dealt a harsh blow in early life
Joseph E. Buonanno, Sr., 1910-1991, was a great Brown quarterback in the 1930’s. He became Trustee Emeritus of his University, and Founder of Metro Dyestuff Company. He was also Chairman of the First Bank and Trust Company.
Carole Garnett-Wheeler was a competitive swimmer from Rhode Island. Born in Narragansett, Rhode Island, on September 6, 1898, she was a U.S. women’s swim team member during the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eleven swimming events were contested, six for men and five for women. The competitions were held from Sunday July 13, 1924, to Sunday July 20, 1924. There
Catherine (Clara) LaMore was a swimmer who represented the United States at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. She placed 7th in the 200 breaststroke. Clara was born into a postman’s family in Providence, Rhode Island on July 2, 1926. She began to swim competitively at the Oneyville Boy’s Club in 1941. During her early career, she was trained
Ralph A. Warburton was the first hockey player from RI to play in the Olympics. He was a member of the US hockey team that competed at the 1948 Winter Olympics and went on to play professional hockey. Born in Cranston on January 7, 1924, he was one of eight children of the late William
Aram J. Pothier was born on July 26, 1854, in Quebec City, Canada, the son of Jules and Domiltilde (Dallaire) Pothier. He attended the common schools in Canada and graduated from Nicolet College in Quebec. At the time of his graduation, his parents had already moved to Woonsocket, Rhode Island. He joined his family in
Moses Brown (1738-1836), a prominent Providence merchant, reformer, and philanthropist, was one of the five Brown brothers, a group that included John, Joseph, Nicholas, and James, the eldest, a twenty-six-year-old ship captain when he died at sea in 1751. They were the children of Captain James Brown and Hope Power, the great-granddaughter of Nicholas Power,
The 1960s and 70s were grim years for the Rhode Island economy. Traditional and old-time industries and companies were leaving or closing. Organic economic growth was nil. Governor Phil Noel’s surprise success in bringing submarine construction work from a Connecticut shipyard to abandoned U.S. Navy property at Quonset Point was a rare and much celebrated
In 1856, the year that thirty-year-old Thomas Alexander Tefft embarked on an educational and architectural tour of Europe—from which he would not return alive—Massachusetts bard John Greenleaf Whittier published his famous poem “Maud Muller,” containing these memorable lines: “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: ‘It might have been!’”
Thomas Davis was born in Dublin, Ireland, on December 18, 1806. He attended private schools in Ireland and migrated to America in 1817, settling in Providence. Becoming a pioneer in Rhode Island’s jewelry industry, he amassed sufficient wealth to enable him to finance a variety of political, civic, and reform endeavors. Little is known about
In Rhode Island, slavery was placed on the road to extinction on March 1, 1784, when the General Assembly passed a gradual manumission act making any Black born to a slave mother after that date free. Those who were slaves at that time had to be manumitted by their masters. Five such slaves were listed
The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame has developed a tradition of listing its inductees by the title of their highest public office or by the title “Dr.” if they have earned that distinction in their chosen field of endeavor. John Russell Bartlett’s title, though prestigious, only begins to embrace his many notable achievements. Clearly,
Binney, William, 1825-1909 William Binney (1825-1909), was the son of Horace Binney, a trial lawyer of national acclaim who twice declined a seat on the United States Supreme Court. His grandfather, Barnabas Binney, was a renowned surgeon, who served with distinction in the American Revolution. William Binney was born in Philadelphia and obtained bachelors and
Charles H. Dow and Edward D. Jones, were reporters, one for the Providence Journal and one for the Providence Morning Star and Evening Press. The names of these former Rhode Island journalists are now synonymous with money and finance. Charles Henry Dow (1851-1902) was born in Sterling, Connecticut on November 5, 1851 and began his