 Quahog.org > Facts and folklore > Notable Rhode Islanders Notable Rhode IslandersFrom the Amazing Royal Crowns to Eddie Zack, Rhode Islanders flavor the world! We'll claim 'em as one of our own if they 1) were born in Rhode Island, 2) spent a significant portion of their lives in Rhode Island, or 3) made or enhanced their reputations in Rhode Island. Beyond that, we have our own obscure and arbitrary criteria that embraces murderers, embezzlers, and rogues as much as doctors, philanthropists, and heroes. Want more notables? Check out the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame, Redwood Library's Newport Notables, or Wikipedia's List of People from Rhode Island. Amazing Royal Crowns aka Amazing Crowns formed early 1990s, Providence A locally-famous punkabilly outfit. b. April 10, 1946, Barrington Angell penned scripts for Archie Bunker's Place and Cheers and, with his producing partners, created shows like Wings and Frasier. Together the team won twenty-four Emmy Awards from a total of thirty-seven nominations. David Angell and his wife, Lynn, died when their Los Angeles-bound plane was flown into the north tower of the World Trade Center. b. December 23, 1937, New York, New York A popular children's author (Something Upstairs, Finding Providence), Avi lived in Providence from 1987 to 1997. b. June 30, 1942, Wichita, Kansas A Ph.D. in marine geology and geophysics from the University of Rhode Island (1974), a 2004 appointment as professor of oceanography, and current tenure as director of the Institute for Archaeological Oceanography at URI's Graduate School of Oceanography is enough to claim the discoverer of the Titanic and PT-109 as one of our own. b. circa 1829, in "the outlands of Providence" (Cumberland) Ballou was a major in the 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers during the Civil War. He is perhaps best known today for his moving battlefield letters to his wife, Sarah, used to good effect in Ken Burns' documentary, The Civil War. b. June 7, 1839, County Monaghan, Ireland Irish-born businessman and industrialist, co-founder of the U.S. Rubber Company and its president from 1893 to 1896, and a prime benefactor of Rhode Island's Catholic churches. Inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2005. b. March 5, 1595, Durham County, England Blackstone was the first European settler in what is now Boston, and later, he became Rhode Island's first settler as well. b. October 1, 1834, Providence Pioneer in the manufacture of rubber goods and founder of the National Rubber Company in Bristol, state senator, governor (1885–1887), and U.S. consul general to Italy (1889–1893). Inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2005. Walter Leslie Brian aka Salty Brine b. August 8, 1918, Boston, Massachusetts For over half a century, Brine was a cheerful and comforting presence on local radio and television. He helmed WPRO's morning show from 1942 to 1993 and was the popular host of Channel 12's children's show, Salty's Shack, from 1958 to 1968. Read Salty's Providence Journal obituary (free registration required). Marilyn Ann Briggs aka Marilyn Chambers b. April 22, 1952, Providence One-time Ivory Snow girl and star of such classics of adult cinema as Behind the Green Door and Insatiable. One of her last acting appearances was in a mainstream independent production called Solitaire that was shot in Rhode Island. Ellison Myers "Tarzan" Brown aka Deerfoot b. 1914, Westerly Narragansett marathoner; two-time winner of the Boston Marathon (1936 and 1939), participant in the 1936 Olympics. The Boston Marathon's "Heartbreak Hill" is named for an incident in which Brown left a competitor in the dust. formed 1959, Peacedale, South Kingstown Between 1959 and 1972, this twelve-member family performed in every state in the union and every province in Canada. b. May 23,1824, Liberty, Indiana (moved to Rhode Island c. 1852) Civil War general, Rhode Island governor (1866-1869), United States senator (1875-1881); it is from his bushy side-whiskers that we get the word "sideburns". b. July 24, 1936, Westerly Actress (That Girl, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, The Lost Saucer, You Can't Do That on Television) and vocal personality (Pound Puppies, Cro). A park bench in Wilcox Park in Westerly is dedicated to her in homage to her bag lady character from Laugh In. John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band formed 1972, Narragansett The band reached the height of their popularity in 1983 with the release of the movie Eddie and the Cruisers, to which they contributed several Bruce Springsteen sound-alike tunes, including "On the Dark Side" and "Tender Years." They're still touring as of 2010. John Cafferty is the cousin of Danny Smith, executive producer and head writer for Family Guy. Francis Nunzio Carlone aka Frankie Carle b. March 25, 1903, Providence Big band orchestra leader whose career spanned an astonishing seven decades. He performed from the age of thirteen (when he played with his uncle's orchestra for one dollar a day), right up until the 1980s. He is best known for the tune "Sunrise Serenade." Wendy Carlos aka Walter Carlos b. November 14, 1939, Pawtucket Composer who popularized the synthesizer with her albums Switched-On Bach (1968), The Well-Tempered Synthesizer (1969), and the soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange (1972). Following gender reassignment surgery in 1972 she continued her career with soundtracks for The Shining (1980) and Tron (1982) and a comedic version of Peter and the Wolf with "Weird" Al Yankovic (1988). b. October 22, 1922, Providence Rhode Island governor, 1969-1969; United States senator from 1976-1999. Much beloved by his constituents, politicians can't name enough places after this guy. Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci, Jr. b. April 30, 1941, Providence Longtime Providence Mayor, tireless (self-) promoter and wielder of fireplace logs. b. September 6, 1978, New York, New York Actress married to Robert Rizzo of North Providence's Rizzo Ford, she moved to Lincoln around 2004. She played Anita Santos Warner on All My Children from 2004-2006, and Collette Centrella on the ill-fated CBS show Waterfront. Charles Claverie aka Charles Rocket b. August 24, 1949, Bangor, Maine b. July 3, 1878, Providence Theatrical director, singer, playwright (Seven Keys to Baldpate, The Song and Dance Man), and composer ("Give My Regards to Broadway", "Over There", "You're a Grand Old Flag", "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy"). A plaque marks the spot where the house in which he was born once stood on the upper end of Wickenden Street. b. January 19, 1924 Actor (Family Plot, Raging Bull, Cheers), director (S.W.A.T. , Starsky and Hutch, ChiPs, Logan's Run). formed 1994, Providence Alterna-lounge pop band. No hits to speak of, but they did appear on Late Night with David Letterman on December 23, 1994. b. April 13, 1942, Providence Prolific composer of music for film (Rocky, For Your Eyes Only, The Right Stuff) and television (Dallas, Falcon Crest, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous). b. April 6, 1959, Pawtucket Director, producer, screenwriter, and playwright. Many of his projects, including Federal Hill, American Buffalo, and Outside Providence, have been filmed in Rhode Island. formed 1966, Newport The Cowsills were the original family pop band upon which the Partridge Family was based. They had a string of minor hits in the late 1960s/early 1970s ("The Rain, the Park and Other Things", "Indian Lake", "Hair"). Mother Barbara Cowsill, who joined the band in 1967, died January 31, 1985, in Tempe, Arizona, of emphysema. She was 56. Bassist Barry Cowsill was reported missing in the wake of Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans in late August 2005. His body was recovered from the Chartres Street Wharf on December 28, 2005, and identified through dental records on January 3. Drowning was subsequently determined to have been the cause of death. He was 51. William Cowsill, lead singer, died on February 17, 2006, in Calgary, Canada. He had been suffering from emphysema, osteoporosis, Cushing's syndrome, and other ailments. He was 58. b. August 11, 1965, Saint Matthews, South Carolina An actress equally at home on stage (Intimate Apparel), screen (Doubt), or television (Century City), Davis grew up in Central Falls and graduated from Rhode Island College. In 2009 she was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar for her role in Doubt. b. October 15, 1907, Valley Falls, Cumberland Dearden was the seventh bishop of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1950), archbishop of Detroit, Michigan (1958), and a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church (1969). b. 1909, New Bedford, Massachusetts DeCosta grew up in the Fox Point neighborhood of Providence and lived for the last thirty years of his life in North Scituate. His black-clad persona, motto, and nickname were allegedly appropriated by CBS for a television show, Have Gun—Will Travel (1957-1963). He went to court three times for damages or monetary compensation, and won each time, only to have all of the verdicts thrown out on appeal. b. 1945, Woonsocket Executive chef and co-owner of the Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia; author of Death by Chocolate: The Last Word on a Consuming Passion. b. 1944 Cranston native and producer of such deathless gems of television greatness as Battle of the Network Stars (I through IV), America's Funniest Home Videos, and America's Funniest Pets. He no longer lives year-round in Rhode Island, but summers in Newport. b. July 8, 1934 Rhode Island governor 1985-1991. Served a year in prison after pleading guilty to eighteen counts of corruption. b. July 16, 1966, Newport Singer/guitarist with rock groups Throwing Muses, Breeders, and Belly b. November 5, 1805, Providence Elected the "Peoples' Governor" under the Peoples' Convention of 1842. b. November 6, 1851, Sterling, Connecticut Between 1875 and 1880 Dow worked as an editor for the Providence Star, a reporter for the Providence Evening Press, and a business writer for the Providence Journal. He later co-founded the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones and Company, and invented the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Dow was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2006. b. 1830 Doyle was the sister of Providence Mayor Thomas Doyle. She was a leader in the women's suffrage movement and a co-founder of both the Rhode Island School of Design and Pembroke College of Brown University. She was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2005. b. November 22, 1912, New York, New York Tobacco heiress dubbed "the richest girl in the world." Lived at Rough Point during spring, summer, and fall months, and founded the Newport Restoration Foundation in 1968 to preserve historic Newport properties and neighborhoods. b. June 29, 1901, 96 Hartford Avenue, Providence Operatically-trained singer and actor who starred and sang opposite Jeanette McDonald in a successful series of MGM operettas (Naughty Marietta, I Married an Angel) in the 1930s and '40s. His best-known tunes are probably "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" and "Indian Love Call." Interest in Eddy has grown in recent years, fueled by rumors that he and Jeannette MacDonald carried on a decades-long illicit affair. b. December 22, 1727, Newport Rhode Island delegate to the Continental Congress of 1776 (replacing Samuel Ward who had died of smallpox), and signer of the Declaration of Independence. b. February 15, 1970, Charleston, South Carolina
b. February 13, 1920, Willimantic, Connecticut Opera and pop soprano. According to Wikipedia "she always publicly and affectionately called [Woonsocket] her home town," having moved there in her teens. Among other accomplishments she performed five seasons at the Metropolitan Opera and released four albums of pop and jazz tunes. She was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1967, and the Woonsocket Hall of Fame in 1985. b. 1957 and 1958, Cumberland Filmmakers responsible for such pinnacles of good taste as Dumb and Dumber, There's Something About Mary, Outside Providence, and Me, Myself and Irene). Marie Rose "The Little Rose" Ferron b. May 24, 1902, Quebec, Canada Deeply religious from a very young age, and afflicted with polio, Rose bore the stigmata (spontaneous wounds on the hands and forehead, like those of Jesus Christ on the cross) during her long illness. It was claimed that she had the ability to take on the pain of others, and in the later part of her life many people traveled to her bedside to be healed. b. 1821, Massachusetts Publisher of the Woonsocket Patriot and one of the founding members of the Associated Press. Buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Woonsocket. Ferdinand Wachenheimer Friendly aka Fred Friendly b. October 30, 1915, Providence Broadcast producer and journalist at Providence radio station WEAN from 1937 to 1941. Later moved to NBC radio and CBS television, where he collaborated with Edward R. Murrow. Was president of CBS News from 1964 to 1966. Inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1968, and the Rhode Island Journalism Hall of Fame in 2007. b. 1944 Blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter with ten albums to his name. He was "born in the Providence River Delta" and spent much of his youth in Johnston. During a career spanning more than forty years, he has also worked with some of the great blues legends, including Howlin' Wolf and Pink Anderson. b. January 10, 1863, Galena, Illinois Gibbs founded the Katharine Gibbs School in the Caesar Misch Building on Westminster Street in Providence in 1911. Initially founded to train secretaries, the school now offers courses ranging from information technology to visual communications and web design at a number of campuses. b. July 3, 1860, Hartford, Connecticut Gilman was a prolific feminist writer who grew up in Providence. Her most famous short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper," is based on her experience with depression after the birth of her first child. William W. Gilman aka Billy Gilman b. May 24, 1988, Westerly This Hope Valley native was the youngest person ever nominated for a Grammy, for his debut album One Voice; it was released one week before his twelfth birthday, in 2000. Joseph Nelson Goucher aka Eddie Dowling b. December 9, 1889, Woonsocket Writer, composer, actor, stage producer (Paint Your Wagon, Hope's the Thing, Honeymoon Lane). Part of Route 146A in North Smithfield is named for him. b. May 10, 1755, Tiverton Gray was the first American to sail around the world under the flag of the United States. He named the Columbia River, into which his vessel, the Columbia Rediviva, was the first to sail. b. June 5, 1941, Barrington Monologuist and actor (The Killing Fields, Swimming to Cambodia, Our Town, Monster in a Box, Gray's Anatomy, Bliss). Gray's monologues, which essentially amounted to very public therapy, delved unflinchingly into such topics as his mother's suicide, his struggles with writer's block, his mental and physical health, and his search for spirituality. Major-General Nathanael Greene b. August 7, 1742, Potowomut (Warwick) General in the American Revolutionary Army; as a Revolutionary War-era military leader, considered second only to Washington. Catherine Littlefield Greene-Miller b. February 17, 1755, Block Island Wife of American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. Legend has it that she gave Eli Whitney advice on how to correct a design flaw in his cotton gin, the teeth of which would get clogged with cotton fibers. According to the April 1972 issue of American Heritage magazine, "it is said that Mrs. Greene remarked, 'Why Eli, you need a brush,' and flicked the lint from the teeth with her hairbrush." Robert Leo Hackett aka Bobby Hackett b. January 31, 1915, Providence Jazz trumpeter; he performed the spotlight solo on "String of Pearls" in MGM's The Glenn Miller Story and he was the only other performer mentioned by name on Jackie Gleason's first album. b. May 19, 1935, Pawtucket Actor (The Virginian, Lucas Tanner), TV newscaster (Good Morning America). b. May 28, 1977, Cranston Contestant on Survivor 2: The Australian Outback, host of The Look for Less (2002-2004) on the Style Network, co-host of ABC's The View (2003-present). b. April 8, 1961, Newport Original Survivor villain and winner, corporate trainer. In May 2006 he was sentenced to fifty-one months in prison for failure to pay taxes on his million dollar prize. Ara David Heditsian aka David Hedison b. May 20, 1928, Providence Actor (The Fly, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Another World). b. Providence 1936 Olympic bronze medal winner in the breast stroke competition; set ten world and twenty-one United States swimming records. Inducted into the Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame in 1981. b. March 7, 1707, Providence Ten-time Rhode Island governor and signer of the Declaration of Independence. b. August 26, 1718, Scituate The only man other than a U.S. President to hold the title of Commander-in Chief; the first Commodore of the Continental Navy, 1775-78; he's also recognized as the first to raise the American flag on foreign soil, at New Providence in the Bahamas in 1776. John Christian Hopkins aka Standing Bear b. July 6, 1960, Westerly Hopkins is a journalist, novelist, and poet. In 2003 he became the first Native American journalist to win awards in four different writing categories in the same year from the Native American Journalists Association. He is the author of the historical novels Carlomagno and Nacogdoches. b. May 27, 1819, New York, New York Abolitionist, women's rights advocate, and poet; she wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" in 1862. b. October 30, 1914, Providence Actress (Northwest Passage, The Philadelphia Story, The Uninvited, The Great Gatsby) who grew up on Ontario Street in the Elmwood neighborhood of Providence. In 1940 she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in The Philadelphia Story. b. 1591, Alfred, England Midwife and preacher. She was tried in Boston in 1637 on the charge of heresy for challenging Puritan teachings, and subsequently banished from the colony. In 1638 she was among the founders of the Rhode Island town of Pocasset (Portsmouth). b. November 6, 1882, Newport Actor, director, producer. b. 1963, Pawtucket Championed by Don Levine, Director of Development at Hasbro, G.I. Joe was a revolutionary idea for the time—a doll for boys. In the years since his introduction, Joe has become an American icon on par with Barbie, selling over 400 million units, and appearing in cartoons, in movies, and on lunchboxes. G.I. Joe was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame on November 12, 2004. Charles Van Dell Johnson aka Van Johnson b. August 25, 1916, Newport Actor (Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Battleground, The Caine Mutiny, Brigadoon, The Purple Rose of Cairo). Johnson grew up at 16 Ayrault Street in Newport and graduated from Rogers High School. He was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1969. Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones aka The Black Patti b. January 5, 1869, Portsmouth, Virginia Jones was a world-famous opera singer in the 1890s, but the color of her skin prevented her from reaching her true potential, and she was often relegated to singing arias in minstrel shows. A critic dubbed her "the Black Patti" after Adelina Patti, the foremost opera diva of the day. b. April 12, 1973, Providence This former Miss Rhode Island USA is a model on The Price is Right. b. 1964 Canoe-balancer extraordinaire; he was a frequent guest on Late Night with David Letterman. b. February 1, 1927, Providence Poet (Body Rags, Mortal Acts-Mortal Words, The Book of Nightmares, When One Has Lived a Long Time Alone, Imperfect Thirst); 1983 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; named State Poet of Vermont. b. August 6, 1925, Lincoln French Canadian All-Star relief pitcher in 1956 and 1957; threw two of baseball's most significant shutouts in his role as a part-time starter and pitched for two Dodgers World Series championship teams in the 1950s. b. November 8, 1942, Providence Ladd, who grew up on Ontario Street in Providence, played Emma Channing on Falcon Crest from 1981 to 1989. b. September 5, 1874, Woonsocket Possibly the greatest second baseman in history; inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. b. 1925, Winthrop, Massachusetts No other Rhode Island media personality can beat Art Lake's longevity. He began his broadcasting career on April 6, 1944, with a morning show called Breakfast Tray on WJAR radio, but he was better known as Channel 10's meteorologist (1963-2003). b. April 22, 1964, Providence The first quadriplegic elected to the United States Congress. b. August 26, 1922, Pawtucket Former Providence Journal reporter; correspondent with NBC News for forty years; author (Main Street, U.S.S.R.; Travel Guide to Russia; The New Worker in Soviet Russia; Main Street, Italy); and lecturer. Idawalley Zoradia Lewis aka Ida Lewis b. February 25, 1842, Newport Keeper of Newport's Lime Rock Lighthouse and America's most celebrated female lighthouse keeper. She is credited with saving eighteen lives during her career. b. 1986 On October 11, 2006, Joshua Lipton, then a Bryant University student, was speeding to get some cigarettes and struck two cars, leaving a young Lincoln woman hospitalized for three months and with permanent injuries. Two hours after the crash, Lipton had a blood alcohol content of .156, about twice the legal limit. He was set free on bail. Two weeks later, Lipton was photographed at a Halloween party wearing a striped shirt and an orange jumpsuit labeled "jail bird." He was also sticking out his tongue, but that may have been a result of the can of Red Bull clutched in his hand. This photograph was posted to Facebook. There it was noticed by the driver of the other car that had been hit, who passed it along to the injured woman, who passed it to the state prosecutor. He then displayed the photo at Lipton's sentencing with the caption "Remorseful?" Lipton was sentenced to ten years, with two to serve, one count of DUI-serious bodily injury resulting, and one count of driving to endanger with serious bodily injury resulting. Since then, Lipton's fifteen minutes of infamy have been following their expected trajectory with mentions on Dr. Phil ("Busted Online"), PC World ("12 photos that should never have been posted online"), and newspapers and blogs all over the world. Carl Jurgen Detlef Looff aka Charles I.D. Looff b. May 24, 1852, Bramstedt, Schleswig Holstein, Denmark A designer and builder of amusement parks and rides throughout America (including East Providence's Crescent Park), and a renowned carver of carousels, Looff lived or worked in Riverside from around 1894 to 1910. Looff was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2005. b. August 20, 1890, Providence Writer of classic horror fiction ("The Shunned House," The Case of Charles Dexter Ward). Rear Admiral Stephen Bleecker Luce b. March 25, 1827, Albany, New York Luce, a career naval officer, was the founder and first president of the Naval War College in Newport (1884-1886). As such, he was a major influence on the development of professional education and training in the Navy. Luce was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2005. b. August 19, 1962, Charlestown Actor, whose most visible role to date was that of Del Cassidy on the sitcom Caroline in the City. He was also Frasier's gay boss, Tom Duran, on two episodes of Frasier, and has played the Olsen twins' father in two separate television productions. He attended Chariho Regional High School and the University of Rhode Island. b. December 12, 1946, England Writer and illustrator whose books (Cathedral, City, Pyramid, Castle, Mill, The Way Things Work, Unbuilding) help make the intricacies of physics and architecture more accessible to the general public. b. August 29, 1909, Providence A Brown graduate, Macready appeared in fifteen plays on Broadway between 1926 and 1958, and had more than 130 film and television roles between 1942 and 1971. He specialized in playing the heavy—Bellon Mundson in Gilda (1946) or French general Paul Mireau in Paths of Glory (1957), for example. b. November 9, 1970 Rhode Island is not known for its serial killers; Mailhot is one of the few. He strangled and dismembered at least three women in Woonsocket between 2003 and 2004. He is currently serving two life terms, plus ten years, at the ACI in Cranston and will be eligible for parole in 2048. Peter Manfredo, Jr. aka The Pride of Providence b. November 26, 1980, Pawtucket Manfredo, a super middleweight/middleweight boxer, came to national attention in the 2005 reality show The Contender. Despite being eliminated early, Manfredo was brought back when another contestant came down with chicken pox, a circumstance that allowed Manfredo to fight his way to the final two. In the series finale, staged at Las Vegas' Caesar's Palace, Manfredo started strong but ultimately lost the top spot to Sergio "The Latin Snake" Mora. On May 22, 1010, Manfredo beat Angel "Toro" Hernandez in a ten-round decision to earn the International Boxing Organization (IBO) World Title, becoming the third Rhode Islander to do so. Harold "Chubby" Gomes was the first in 1959 and Vinny Pazienza was the second in 1987. Charles McCarthy aka Cormac McCarthy b. July 20, 1933, Providence Writer and playwright. He won the Pulitzer Prize (and a place on Oprah's Book Club list) for his novel The Road in 2007. As of 2007 four of his novels were made or are scheduled to be made into movies: Blood Meridian, The Road, No Country for Old Men, and All the Pretty Horses. b. March 29, 1927 This former Jesuit priest (1960-1975), failed candidate for United States Senate (1970), and former speechwriter for Presidents Nixon and Ford is the host and moderator of The McLaughlin Group on PBS. Prior to becoming a fixture on the national political scene, McLaughlin grew up in the Edgewood and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods of Providence, attended Blessed Sacrament Elementary School and LaSalle Academy, and worked as a money-runner at Narragansett Park racetrack and as a stock boy at Shepard's department store. He was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2005. b. 1938, Brooklyn, New York Merkin was an artist, teacher, and writer who taught painting at the Rhode Island School of Design from 1963 to 2005, but you might know him better as the guy with the hat and mustache in the center of the back row on the front cover of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. b. August 15, 1968, Brooklyn, New York A native of East Greenwich, this former Rhode Island Junior Miss is making a name for herself on television (Will and Grace—for which she won an Emmy) and in the movies (The Wedding Date). b. circa 1638, Massachusetts Leader of the Wampanoag tribe and instigator of King Philip's War. b. circa 1944 Mollicone didn't become a household name until he took a few bucks from the business he was president of. But the business happened to be the Heritage and Loan Investment Company, and the few bucks was actually $12 million. In 1991 Mollicone's unauthorized withdrawal and subsequent disappearance led to the collapse of Rhode Island's entire privately insured credit union network, and left thousands of depositors up crap creek. Once caught, Mollicone was convicted in 1993 on twenty-six counts of embezzlement, conspiracy, and violation of banking laws, sentenced to forty years in prison, ordered to pay the stolen money back to the state, and hit with an additional $420,000 fine. He was paroled in July 2002. b. July 29, 1918, Providence Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Edge of Sadness (1961) and The Last Hurrah (1956). b. March 9, 1948, Providence Singer with the funk and soul group LTD ("Love Ballad"); and solo ("On the Wings of Love," "Only Human"). Ousamequin ("Yellow Feather") aka Massasoit b. circa 1590, Pokanoket (near present-day Bristol) Ousamequin was a leader of the Wampanoag Indian tribe. In 1621 he signed a peace treaty with the Pilgrims that was unbroken during his lifetime. Vinnie "The Pazmanian Devil" Pazienza b. December 16, 1962, Cranston Five-time super-middleweight world championship boxer. He retired from boxing after winning his fiftieth fight on March 27, 2004. b. August 20, 1785, South Kingstown Naval hero in the War of 1812; he said, "We have met the enemy, and they are ours." Inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1965. >Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry b. April 10, 1794, South Kingstown He opened Japanese ports to world trade in 1854. b. 1952, Pawtucket This classic Hasbro product was the first toy to be advertised on national television. The amiable spud had a supporting role in the Pixar animated movies, Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999), and in 1999 he was chosen as Rhode Island's "Ambassador of Fun," with forty-eight different six-foot-tall fiberglass replicas placed throughout the state. built 1976 The Providence is a replica of Rhode Island's first naval vessel. She has appeared in two sequels to Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean (as both a Turkish merchant vessel and the HMS Perseverance, a British man-of-war), and in a PBS documentary on Benedict Arnold. Based out of her namesake city, the Providence is Rhode Island's official flagship and, when not appearing on film, a floating classroom. b. April 21, 1915, Chihuahua, Mexico This Oscar-winning actor (Viva Zapata, Lust for Life) made Bristol his home for the last six years of his life. Brigadier General Elisha Hunt Rhodes b. March 21, 1842, Pawtuxet Village, Cranston Rhodes participated in every Civil War campaign with the Army of the Potomac from Bull Run (July 1861) to Appomattox (April 1865). He is perhaps best known today for his Civil War diary, used to great effect in Ken Burns' documentary The Civil War. formed 1967, Westerly The venerable Roomful of Blues is perhaps the best-known and most beloved blues band that you've never heard of. Six of their albums have made the top 15 on the Blue Charts, and at least three of the projects they've worked on have been nominated for Grammies. Well into their fourth decade, the band continues to please local audiences with their encyclopedic musical expertise. Warwick resident Russo is another of our local prodigies. Simply put, he remembers dates. Off the top of his head, he can tell you what day of the week any date in history fell on. He can also calculate the number of days between any two dates (eg: "James Woods was born 161 days before Gary Ley, the Channel 10 weather man."). Colonel Sherwood C. "Woody" Spring b. September 3, 1944, Hartford, Connecticut Spring served as a mission specialist on the 23rd space shuttle mission, aboard Atlantis, which flew from November 26 through December 3, 1985. He grew up in the Eden Park section of Cranston and moved with his family to Harmony when he was thirteen. b. 1932, Graz, Austria Providence-based architect St. Florian was unanimously selected from 400 entries to design the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Locally, he was Design Architect for the Providence Place Mall. b. December 3, 1755, North Kingstown Portrait-painter; most famous for his unfinished portrait of George Washington. formed 1964, New Bedford, Massachusetts The Tavares brothers—Ralph, Butch, Tiny, Pooch, and Chubby—grew up in Fox Point in Providence. In the mid-seventies they scored twelve top-15 rhythm and blues hits in a row, including "Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got," "Free Ride" and "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel (Part 1)." Prior to their fame, they were once arrested for singing on a Providence street corner. Elizabeth June Thornburg aka Betty Hutton b. February 26, 1921, Battle Creek, Michigan Actress, singer, and dancer (The Fleet's In (1942), The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944), Annie Get Your Gun (1950), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)) who made Rhode Island her home from 1974 to 1996. She earned a master's degree in liberal studies from Salve Regina University in 1986 and served for a time as the official greeter at the former Newport Jai Alai fronton. b. 1963 Bartender and dare-devil; he went over Niagara Falls in a barrel in 1985, then repeated the feat with a double-barrel and a female friend in 1995. b. June 18, 1949, Grand Rapids, Michigan RISD grad and Providence resident Van Allsburg is an author and illustrator of children's books, including The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, Jumanji, The Polar Express, and The Wretched Stone. b. December 30, 1953, East Providence Former CBS News correspondent and anchor (1979-1993), co-host of The View (1997-2006) and host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? She took over Katie Couric's spot on NBC's Today show in September 2006. Formed 1970, Providence A local bar-band that scored a number 7 hit with "Sweet Mary (I'm Coming Home)" in February 1971. Lead singer and guitarist Steve Jablecki died on April 14, 2005, in Pawtucket. A memorial to him in the form of an Eastern Red Bud tree can be found in the Bourne Playground, Rumford, East Providence. b. January 19, 1803, Providence Poet who almost married Edgar Allan Poe; they courted at the Providence Athenaeum and she inspired Poe to write the poems "To Helen" and "Annabelle Lee." b. February 12, 1830, Westerly Co-inventor, with George H. Babcock, of the water tube steam boiler, deemed by Thomas Edison to be "the best boiler God has permitted man yet to make." b. November 29, 1752, Cumberland Religious leader; the first woman in America to found a religion, the Universal Friends. b. circa 1603, London, England Cleric, founder of the State of Rhode Island. b. April 18, 1947, Vernal, Utah (but grew up in Warwick) Actor (The Onion Field, Nixon, Killer: A Journal of Murder, Vampires, True Crime). Edward Zacharian aka Eddie Zack b. March 5, 1922, Providence This article last edited July 12, 2010 © 1999–2010 Quahog.org (with the exception of elements provided by contributors, as noted). |
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