Food / Culinary – Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame

James Birchfield Sr.

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

Robert I. Burke

Perhaps growing up on Roger Williams Avenue, being walked in a stroller in Roger Williams Park or learning his great grandfather owned the spring that became the Roger Williams National Memorial caused Bob to be smitten with the history of Rhode Island. That led to the Herbert C. Pell Award for Excellence in American History

Morris J.W. Gaebe

Mr. Morris J.W. Gaebe is a trustee emeritus, chancellor emeritus at Johnson & Wales University. Under his leadership, the fledgling college transformed into the world-renowned institution it is today. As President of Johnson & Wales College, Gaebe was named “Rhode Island Business Educator of the Year” in 1978. He was a member of the Permanent

George T. Downing

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

Frances Harriet (Whipple) Green McDougall

“A Rhode Island Original” is a description used by Sarah O’Dowd to title her biography of Frances Whipple. It aptly describes one of Rhode Island’s most significant mid-nineteenth-century writers and reformers. Frances was born in Smithfield in September 1805, but the exact date is unknown. She was the eldest of the four children of George

Yat K. Tow