exists to honor and recognize, and to extol and publicize the achievements of those Rhode Island men and women who have, in the words of the Hall of Fame induction citation, 'made significant contributions to their community, state, and/or nation.' It is also our mission to tell the story of Rhode Island History via interactive technology using the biographies of our inductees, noting their collective impact upon every phase of Rhode Island's development. Eligible membership may include those who are native born, those whose reputations have been made while residents of the state, and those who have adopted Rhode Island as their permanent home.[1]
The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame is managed by a president, vice president, recording secretary, corresponding secretary, and treasurer, with an active board of about twenty members, who serve as the electors to the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.[2] They receive formal, written nominations from the general public at the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame, 1445 Wampanoag Trail, Unit 201, East Providence RI 02915.
Nearly 800 men and women have been inducted into the Rhode Island Hall of Fame, representing all walks of life and areas of achievement, including Native Americans from the earliest days of the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
This institution caused controversy when convicted felon Michael Flynn was inducted for 2024, causing an exodus of board members and one inductee to decline their invitation.[3]
Patrick T. Conley and Manuel Gorriaran, Eminent Rhode Islanders: Biographical Profiles of the Inductees to the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame, 1965-2000 (Providence: [The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in conjunction with the Rhode Island Publications Society, 2001]).
Patrick T. Conley, Rhode Island's Founders: From Settlement to Statehood. (Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2010) ISBN978-1-59629-739-5
Patrick T. Conley, The Makers of Modern Rhode Island [1790-1860]. (Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2012) ISBN978-1-60949-164-2
Patrick T. Conley, The Leaders of Rhode Island's Golden Age [1861-1900]. (The History Press, 2019) ISBN978-1-4671-4148-2
