History of the Pawtucket Hall of Fame

Each year we celebrate and induct new members into the Pawtucket Hall of Fame as well as recognize a person from the community who will receive that year’s “Person of the Year” award. The Pawtucket Hall of Fame has been well-served over the years by a working volunteer committee of local community members. This ceremony first took place in 1986 as part of the Centennial Celebration event created by Mayor Henry Kinch as a fitting way to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Pawtucket as a city. During this celebration, 25 people were selected that night and honored for their contributions to the community, an honor that clearly instilled a sense of pride to the inductee. These honorees were praised as local heroes – for they were educators, industrialists, businessmen, sports figures, Olympic gold medal winners, poets, television personalities and producers – all people we could proudly call our own. Their names have been honorably placed in the lobby of Pawtucket City Hall for all visitors to see and while 25 people were recognized in 1986, as the years went by, there were certainly others that followed worthy to receive this honor. In 1992, under the direction and charge of the late Raymond Dalton, Sr., the Pawtucket Hall of Fame was ‘resurrected’ and became an annual celebration to stand on its own. It would recognize those special individuals whose contributions, in any line of endeavor, had added to the heritage of the City of Pawtucket. Each year the class of inductees have rightfully satisfied this requirement in their own respective ways. As a group, their life experiences are diverse, but each share the thread of passion and selfless determination to make a difference in our community.