1445 Wampanoag Trail, Suite 203, East Providence, RI 02915-1019 | (401) 433-0044 | info@riheritagehalloffame.com
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
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
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.
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
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
The Farrelly Brothers, Peter, and Bobby are considered two of the best comedic film writers and producers of the 21st Century, a talent they cultivated beginning in their youth. They comprise the new breed of New England comedians such as Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien of Massachusetts or Seth McFarland of Connecticut, Adam Sandler of
Legendary promoter Jimmy Burchfield Sr is most often referred to as the hardest working promoter in combat sports. This native Rhode Islander and North Providence resident has the well-deserved reputation in this region as the individual most responsible for consistently providing young fighters with a platform to chase their dreams. In 1992, fueled by a
J. Harold Williams, a man whose name became synonymous with Boy Scouting, served as chief executive of the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts for forty-three years. He started scouting at the age of 13, became a scoutmaster at 17, and became chief executive at 21. He was a planner, lecturer, friend, and advisor to
Eddie Dowling was an actor, director, playwright, screenwriter, composer, and theatrical producer. He was one of the all-time greats of the American Theatre. Dowling succeeded in every phase of show business – vaudeville, musical comedy, serious drama, producer, director, and playwright. He won four New York Drama Critics Awards, and his accomplishments ranged from dancing
A life-size bronze statue of George M. Cohan, called the greatest single figure the American theatre ever produced as a playwright, actor, composer, lyricist, singer, dancer, and theatrical producer, sits on the corner of Wickenden and Governor streets in the Fox Point neighborhood of Providence. A plaque on the front of the base is inscribed:
The late Dr. Doris M. Holloway Abels, formerly of North Kingstown accomplished educator, performing artist and advocate of the arts founded her own school of dance and helped to establish the Trinity Reperatory Company. The versatile Dr. Abels was also a long-time choreographer at Theater By the Sea and was a mental health counselor and
A Serbian American, Dr. Mark Malkovich was born in Eveleth, Minnesota, a mining town north of Duluth in 1930. He played the clarinet as a child, but the piano became his primary instrument. Beginning his study of the piano at fifteen years of age, he eventually tutored under Adele Marcus at New York City’s Juilliard
The Farrelly Brothers, Peter, and Bobby are considered two of the best comedic film writers and producers of the 21st Century, a talent they cultivated beginning in their youth. They comprise the new breed of New England comedians such as Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien of Massachusetts or Seth McFarland of Connecticut, Adam Sandler of
Charles I.D. Looff was an American master carver and builder of hand-carved carousels and amusement rides. During his lifetime, he built over 40 carousels, amusement parks, roller coasters, and Ferris wheels. He built the first carousel at Coney Island in 1876. One of his carousels inspired Walt Disney to build Disneyland and Disneyworld. Disneyland has
David L. Angell was best known for producing Emmy Award winning shows Cheers,” “Wings” and “Frasier.”Born on April 10, 1946 in Providence, David Angell was the youngest of three children of Mae Cooney Angell and Henry Angell. David attended Providence College, where he studied English literature. Following his graduation from PC, David enlisted in the
There is some irony in the character creation of the quintessential cowboy hero in the fictional literature of the American West. The John Wayne image of the strong, silent, chivalrous Western hero was created by a Harvard graduate who once wrote operas and poetry. Novelist, playwright, screenwriter, composer, and poet Owen Wister was born in
For generations of Rhode Islanders, Art Lake was the man who greeted them every morning. Lake was featured on WJAR for over sixty years, first as a radio host in 1944, then as an inaugural broadcaster for Channel 10 in 1949. A native of Braintree, Mass., he has lived in Greenville for many years. Art’s
Harrington, Randall A. (Randall Augustus), 1854-1918 Colonel Randall Augustus Harrington (1854-1918) was born in the mill village of Phenix, then a part of the town of Warwick in 1854, the son of Randall A. Harrington and Mary Madison Harrington. The Harringtons and Madisons were descended from early Rhode Island families. In Colonel Harrington’s long career
Edward M. Fay spent his life in the entertainment industry as a violinist, conductor, vaudeville impresario, poet, and motion picture theater owner. He owned at least six different theaters between 1928 and 1977 and was called by The Providence Journal the “dean of Rhode Island entertainment.” He was born in South Providence to James T.
Isabelle A. O’Neill was a stage and screen actor of the silent film era, a suffragist, and the first woman elected to the Rhode Island Legislature. She also served in the state Senate and, under President Franklin Roosevelt, in the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. She was born on June 8, 1880, in Woonsocket, Rhode Island,
Mowry Lowe pioneered radio broadcasting in New England, starting with Station WEAN in 1931 and continuing active broadcasting for 40 years. WEAN became the first commercial radio station in Rhode Island when it signed on the air on June 5, 1922. The station was founded by John Shepherd, grandson of the founder of Shepherd’s Department
John R. Rathom was an Australian-born American journalist, editor, and writer based in Rhode Island and employed as the editor of The Providence Journal and The Evening Bulletin at the height of his career. In 1906, Rathom applied for work at The Providence Journal and won the post of managing editor. Stephen Olney Metcalf, publisher
Louis Pieri was an astute, daring, and successful businessman who, with energy, ambition, and hard work, achieved financial and sports eminence. One of the best-known sports promoters of the twentieth century, Pieri was the owner of the Rhode Island Auditorium, the Providence Reds hockey team, and part-owner of the Boston Celtics basketball team. During his
Wartime heartthrob Van Johnson was born Charles Van Dell Johnson August 25th, 1916, in Newport, Rhode Island, the only child of Loretta Snyder and Charles E. Johnson. Drawn to the stage even in his early years, Johnson attended Rogers High School, and, as a teenager, frequently performed in local Newport social clubs. Upon his graduation
Aileen Riggin won the first Olympic springboard title in 1920 when she had just passed her 14th birthday, the youngest-ever U.S. woman Olympic champion. She lost her record to another U.S. diver, Marjorie Gestring, at the 1936 Olympics. Riggin won three AAU outdoor and one indoor springboard title and was twice a member of the Women’s Swimming
To those who grew up in Rhode Island, the Outlet Department Store was as familiar and as dominant in the downtown area as were such familiar establishments as the Albee Theater, Gibson’s, the Boston Store, Gladdings, Shepard’s, and Tilden-Thurber. When Joseph and Leon Samuels opened a small store on Westminster Street in 1894, every possible