Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame Women Inductees
Catharine R. Williams ca. 1835
Aileen Riggin, 1920 at age 14, when she won an Olympic Gold Medal
The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame is a non-profit, volunteer organization that recognizes those who have brought credit, prominence, or contributions to the heritage or history of Rhode Island.
History
The organization was founded and incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1965 to recognize the contributions of citizens of the state of Rhode Island. Since 2013, it has had a partnership with the Heritage Harbor Museum. Though the organization recognizes the contributions of any citizen, a separate listing of women inductees is maintained.
Criteria
The eligibility criteria for membership requires that significant contributions to the history or heritage of Rhode Island and is open to those born in the state, those who are residents when their notability occurred, and those who have permanent homes in Rhode Island.
Inductees
The hall inducts new members annually and includes both contemporary and historical Rhode Islanders.
| Name | Image | Birth–Death | Year | Area of achievement | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fanny Purdy Palmer |
|
(1839– 1923) | 2020 | Author, poet, social activist | |
| Lillie Buffum Chace Wyman | (1847– 1929) | 2020 | Social reformer, poet | ||
| Sister Mary Reilly | (1924– ) | 2019 | Missionary who helped establish McAuley House, Dorcas Place, and Sophia Academy | ||
| Rose E. Weaver | 2019 | Social justice reformer, actress, singer, producer and director | |||
| Patrice Wood | 2018 | Television journalism | |||
| Sarah J. Eddy |
|
(1851-1945) | 2017 | Philanthropist,humanitarian, painter and sculptor, photographer, suffragette and author | |
| Marie Rode Ferron | (1902-1936) | 2017 | Religious piety | ||
| Louisa Sharpe Metcalf | (1866-1959) | 2017 | Philanthropist | ||
| Pauline Maier |
|
(1938-2013) | 2016 | Historian | |
| Patricia R. Recupero | (1938-2013) | 2016 | Mental health advocate | ||
| Betty R. Vohr | 2016 | Medical Director of Women & Infants Hospital's Neonatal Follow-Up Program | |||
| Gertrude I. Johnson | (1876-1961) | 2015 | Founder of Johnson & Wales University | ||
| Mary T. Wales | (1874-1952) | 2015 | Founder of Johnson & Wales University | ||
| Margaret A. McKenna | (1945–) | 2015 | Served as White House Deputy Counsel, Deputy Undersecretary in the United States Department of Education, president of Lesley University and president of the WalMart Foundation | ||
| Noreen Stonor Drexel | (1922–2012) | 2015 | health care and education philanthropist | ||
| Catherine O'Reilly Collette | (ca. 1951–) | 2014 | Women's rights advocate and national organizer on women's issues | ||
| Isabelle Ahearn O’Neill | (1880–1975) | 2014 | Silent-film actress, suffragette, first woman legislator | ||
| Abby Aldrich Rockefeller | (1874–1948) | 2014 | Philanthropist, who pushed for the creation of the Museum of Modern Art in New York | ||
| Wilma Briggs | (1930–) | 2013 | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player who led the league in home runs during the 1953 season and ranks second in the all-time home runs list | ||
| Billie Ann Burrill | (1921–2010) | 2013 | Co-founder and a director of the Rhode Island College Dance Company and master swimmer, setting 800-meter freestyle and the 1500-meter long course world records in her age category | ||
| Martha McSally |
|
(1966–) | 2013 | First American woman to fly in combat and was also the first woman to command a USAF fighter squadron | |
| Lucy Rawlings Tootell | (1911–2010) | 2013 | teacher and historic preservationist | ||
| Karen Adams | (1955–) | 2012 | Journalist, television anchor and newscaster | ||
| Eileen Slocum | (1915–2008) | 2012 | Rhode Island Republican national committeewoman from 1992–2008 | ||
| Mary C. Wheeler |
|
(1846–1920) | 2012 | artist and founder of Providence's Wheeler School | |
| Jane Stuart | (1812–1888) | 2011 | first woman portraitist of Newport | ||
| Kathleen S. Connell | (1937–) | 2010 | Politician, who served at the local and state levels and was Secretary of State of Rhode Island between 1987 and 1993 | ||
| Susan Farmer | (1942–2013) | 2010 | First woman in Rhode Island to hold a statewide office, when elected as Secretary of State | ||
| Caroline Hazard | (1856–1945) | 2010 | Fifth President of Wellesley College and credited with establishing an endowment for enduring financial stability | ||
| Annie Smith Peck |
|
(1850–1935) | 2009 | mountaineer and adventurer who scaled Mount Huascaran in Peru | |
| Maud Howe Elliott | (1854–1948) | 2008 | American writer, noted winning the Pulitzer prize in collaboration with her sister for their mother's biography The Life of Julia Ward Howe | ||
| Marjorie Joy Vogel | (1930–2007) | 2008 | artist and illustrator who created the largest body of Rhode Island-themed illustration work | ||
| Anna Garlin Spencer | (1851–1931) | 2007 | president of the Rhode Island Equal Suffrage Association | ||
| Mary Emma Woolley |
|
(1863–1947) | 2007 | one of America's youngest college presidents | |
| M. Therese Antone | 2006 | President of Salve Regina University | |||
| Nancy Gewirtz | (1945–2004) | 2006 | Co-founder of The Poverty Institute and the Rhode Island Campaign to Eliminate Childhood Poverty | ||
| Barbara H. Roberts | (1944–) | 2006 | First woman Gorlin Cardiology Fellow at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and the first woman to practice adult cardiology in Rhode Island | ||
| Sarah Elizabeth Doyle |
|
(1830–1922)) | 2005 | Founder of the Rhode Island School of Design and establishing women's education at Brown University | |
| Norma Ann Garnett | (1930–2005) | 2005 | Recognized as Teacher of the Year by Rhode Island and Maine, 1991 White House Distinguished Teacher Award recipient | ||
| Idawally Lewis |
|
(1842–1911) | 2005 | First woman to serve in the U.S. Lighthouse Service | |
| Alice A. Sullivan | (1925–2003) | 2005 | Women's sport activist and educator, successfully lobbied for the Rhode Island Interscholastic League's sports program to include girls | ||
| Sara DeCosta-Hayes | (1977–) | 2004 | Two-time Olympic ice hockey medalist: 1998 Nagano gold and 2002 Salt Lake City silver | ||
| Lynne Jewell | (1959–) | 2004 | 1988 Seoul Olympic gold medalist in the women's 470 Class yachting | ||
| Helen Johns | (1914–2014) | 2004 | 1932 Los Angeles Olympic gold medalist in the women's 400-meter freestyle swim | ||
| Katie King-Crowley | (1975–) | 2004 | Three time Winter Olympic ice hockey medalist | ||
| Frances Whipple McDougall | (1805–1878) | 2004 | 19th-century poet, abolitionist, botanist, and suffragette | ||
| Harriet Metcalf | (1958–) | 2004 | 1984 Los Angeles Olympics women's eight rowing gold medalist | ||
| Aileen Riggin |
|
(1906–2002) | 2004 | 1920 Summer Olympics swimming gold medalist | |
| Lila Sapinsley | (1922–2014) | 2004 | State Senator and Senate minority leader | ||
| Sarah Helen Whitman |
|
(1803–1878) | 2004 | 19th-century poet, essayist, and Spiritualist | |
| Christiana Carteaux Bannister |
|
(1822–1903) | 2003 | Abolitionist and entrepreneur | |
| Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis |
|
(1813–1876) | 2003 | Co-founder of the New England Woman Suffrage Association | |
| Julia Ward Howe |
|
(1819–1910) | 2003 | Abolitionist and author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" | |
| Victoria S. Lederberg | (1937–2002) | 2003 | State Senator and state Supreme Court judge | ||
| Elizabeth Buffum Chace | (1806–1899) | 2002 | Abolitionist and suffragette, the first woman to be memorialized with a statue in the Rhode Island State House | ||
| Leona McElroy Kelley | (1919–2000) | 2002 | Teacher and state House Representative | ||
| Mother Frances Warde | (1810–1884) | 2002 | Founder of the Sisters of Mercy (R.S.M.) in America | ||
| Catharine R. Williams |
|
(1787–1872) | 2002 | 19th-century poet and writer | |
| Prudence Crandall |
|
(1803–1890) | 2001 | Founder of a school that became the first integrated classroom in the United States | |
| Doris Duke |
|
(1912–1993) | 2001 | Philanthropist, preservationist and founders of the Newport Restoration Foundation | |
| Mary Elizabeth Sharpe | (1885–1985) | 2001 | Amateur landscape architect, who spearheaded landscape design at Brown University, the Japanese Gardens at Roger Williams Park, and the renovation of India Point Park. | ||
| Harriet Ware | (1799–1847) | 2001 | Teacher and founder of a children's aid society called the Children's Friend Society | ||
| Doris Holloway Abels | (1925–1997) | 2000 | Ed Sullivan dancer with the Holloway Sisters, later mental health professional and professor at Brown University and Rhode Island College | ||
| Beatrice Oenslager Chace | (1909–1992) | 1999 | Philanthropist, preservationist and historic home conservationist | ||
| Helen Metcalf Danforth | (1887–1984) | 1998 | Benefactor of the Rhode Island School of Design and president of the RISD Corporation, recipient of the first honorary degree awarded by the institution | ||
| Ann Smith Franklin | (1696–1763) | 1998 | First female newspaper editor of the American colonies | ||
| Sarah Updike Goddard | (1701–1770) | 1998 | Published Providence's first newspaper, The Providence Gazette | ||
| Mary Dyer |
|
(1611–1660) | 1997 | Quaker martyr, one of the founders of Portsmouth | |
| Sylvia K. Hassenfeld | (1920–2014) | 1997 | Jewish philanthropist, president of Providence Jewish Federation | ||
| Anne Hutchinson |
|
(1591–1643) | 1997 | Established the settlement of Portsmouth in what became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations | |
| Margaret Langdon-Kelly | (1904–2001) | 1997 | Co-founder of Meeting Street School for special needs children | ||
| Maria Spacagna | 1997 | First American-born opera singer to perform Madame Butterfly at La Scala | |||
| Helen A. Bert | (1922–2002) | 1996 | Director and developer of the Women's Athletics Program at Providence College | ||
| Catherine Tilley Hammett | (1902–1998) | 1996 | First Girl Scout of Newport and later served on the national staff of the Girl Scouts of the USA | ||
| Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf | (1830–1895) | 1996 | Founder and director of the Rhode Island School of Design | ||
| Arlene Violet | (1944–) | 1996 | First woman attorney general in the United States | ||
| Lizzie Murphy (fr) | (1894–1964) | 1994 | First woman baseball player to play against major league players | ||
| Barbara-Jeanne Seabury | (1927–2002) | 1994 | Child welfare advocate, author and the Director of Rhode Island Hospital's Child Life Department | ||
| Mary C. Mulvey | (1909–) | 1993 | Geriatrics, president National Senior Citizens Education and Research Center | ||
| Nancy A. J. Potter | (1926–) | 1992 | Short story writer and professor, recipient of University of Rhode Island President's Award for Excellence in Teaching | ||
| Mary P. Brennan | (1933–1996) | 1992 | Pioneer in the travel and tourism industry serving on state and national tourism advisory committees; first woman in the country to serve as a station manager in the airline industry | ||
| Gladys Williams Brayton | (1890–1990) | 1991 | Historian and author | ||
| Ade Bethune | (1914–2002) | 1990 | Catholic liturgical artist and the artistic director of the Terra Sancta Guild | ||
| Marion F. Avarista | 1988 | Founder of the Traveler's Aid Runaway Youth Project | |||
| Sister Mary Bernard | 1987 | Teacher, Principle, and Head of the Guidance Department at St. Mary's Academy | |||
| Sister Eileen Murphy | (1935–1983) | 1987 | Founder of the Amos House homeless shelter of Providence | ||
| Eleanor M. McMahon | (1929–2002) | 1986 | First Commissioner of Higher Education | ||
| Olive F. Wiley | 1985 | African American Day Care founder and Mother of the Year | |||
| Katharine Gibbs | (1863–1934) | 1983 | Founder of Gibbs College | ||
| Eleanor Slater | (1909–2006) | 1982 | State Representative, State Senator and National Democratic Committeewoman | ||
| Katherine U. Warren | (1897–1976) | 1981 | Conservationist, preservationist and founder of the Preservation Society of Newport | ||
| Anna Tucker | (1919–2012) | 1981 | First Director for the R.I. Department of Elderly Affairs | ||
| Florence K. Murray | (1916–2004) | 1980 | First woman state senator, the first woman judge and the first female member of the Rhode Island Supreme Court | ||
| Diane L. Coutu | (1946–) | 1980 | Journalist and later editor of the Harvard Business Review | ||
| Antoinette F. Downing | (1904–2001) | 1978 | Preservationist and Chair of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission and the Providence Historic District Commission | ||
| Frances G. Knight | (1905–1999) | 1978 | Director of the U.S. Passport Office | ||
| Princess Red Wing | (1896–1987) | 1978 | Narragansett tribe member, assisted in drafting the tribal bylaws under the Indian Reorganization Act and designed the tribal seal | ||
| Gertrude Meth Hochberg | (1911–2002) | 1977 | 1964 Advertising Woman of the Year of the Advertising Federation of America, first woman vice president of Bryant College | ||
| Matilda Sissieretta Jones |
|
(1869–1933) | 1977 | Internationally renowned soprano | |
| Catherine Robinson | 1975 | Civil rights advocate, Assistant Director of the University of Rhode Island Extension Division Service | |||
| Margaret F. Ackroyd | (1908–1995) | 1972 | Chief of the Division of Women and Children and Commissioner of minimum wage for Rhode Island | ||
| Ruth Buzzi |
|
(1936–) | 1971 | American comedian and actress | |
| Ida Silverman | (1882–1973) | 1971 | Only woman to serve as vice president of the Zionist Organization of America and the American Jewish Congress | ||
| Jean Madeira | (1918–1972) | Contralto diva of the Metropolitan Opera | |||
| JoAnne Carner | (1939–) | 1969 | Five-time national women's amateur golf champion and three-time Rhode Island golf champion | ||
| June Rockwell Levy | (1886–1971) | 1969 | Philanthropist, who established with her husband the Burrillville Town Buildings Project | ||
| Mary Tucker Thorp | (1899–1974) | 1969 | First distinguished professor at Rhode Island College | ||
| E. Doris Brennan | (1922–) | 1968 | Holder of twenty national and world swimming records in 1930s and 1940s; selected for 1940 Olympics which was cancelled due to World War | ||
| Paula Deubel | (1935–1993) | 1968 | 1954 national collegiate shot put champion, 1956 Melbourne Olympic shot put competitor | ||
| Carole Garnett-Wheeler | 1968 | 1924 Paris Olympic Games swimming competitor, later Rhode Island Republican National Convention delegate | |||
| Clara LaMore | (1926–) | 1968 | 1948 London Olympic Games breaststroke competitor, 5 time national champion | ||
| Janet Moreau | (1927–) | 1968 | 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games gold medal 4 x 100 meters relay winner | ||
| Albina Osipowich | (1911–1964) | 1968 | 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games gold medal swimmer | ||
| Lois Ann Testa | (1935–) | 1968 | 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games athlete | ||
| Eileen Farrell | (1920–2002) | 1967 | Noted American soprano | ||
| Ruth Hussey |
|
(1911–2005) | 1967 | Academy Award-nominated actress | |
| Glenna Collett Vare | (1903–1989) | 1966 | Champion golfer who dominated the sport in the 1920s |
