April 22, 2016
Black & White Buzz: Spring 2016
SHORTLY BEFORE this magazine went to press, the College announced that two alumni and three other extraordinary individuals will be awarded honorary degrees at the 2016 Commencement Exercises on May 15. Selected to present the Commencement Address is Heather Abbott ’03G, a victim of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing whose injuries led her to establish The Heather Abbott Foundation to assist amputees in obtaining prosthetic devices. Honorary degrees also will be given to:
- Robert G. Fiondella, Esq. ’64, retired CEO and chair of The Phoenix;
- Timothy P. Flanigan, M.D., a professor of medicine at Brown University and a deacon in the Diocese of Providence;
- Rose Weaver, an actor, singer, and playwright;
- and George T. Wein, founder of the Newport Jazz Festival and co-founder of the Newport Folk Festival.
HENRY W. ARCHETTO ’37 is still making news … and it’s not just for his age. Last October, a few weeks after his 100th birthday, the lifelong Cranston, R.I., resident was inducted into the Cranston Hall of Fame with four others. Archetto was honored for lifetime contributions as a microbiologist, researcher, administrator, and humanitarian. He retired in 1977 as the principal food microbiologist with the Rhode Island Department of Health after nearly four decades with the state. He was on the faculty at Amherst College in 1944-1945 and taught at the University of Rhode Island from 1967-1976. His research expertise was in the sanitation of drinking water and the safe handling of food. Archetto, who received a citation on his milestone birthday from College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80 and the Board Trustees, is the father of Paul H. Archetto ’83, a former R.I. state representative who has served on the Cranston City Council since 2008.
A DETERMINED Adebanke Otunba-Payne ’15 literally walked into a job in New York City. Featured recently on “Humans of New York,” the accountancy major moved to the city after graduating last May. She briefly held jobs as an analyst and in a restaurant but was unhappy that she wasn’t working in her field. After sending out résumés to about 30 employers and not having luck, she couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
A car lover, Otunba-Payne began going door-to-door along a strip of car dealerships. One dealership was “standoffish.” Another carmaker was warm but didn’t have an opening. Otunba-Payne moved on to her first choice, Jaguar/Land Rover. She was interviewed on the spot for an accounting position, made an immediate impression, and was asked if she could start the next day. “My dad was so proud of me. I was so proud of myself,” she said.
ONE OF THE FUN SPOTS on campus, the Providence College Bookstore in the Slavin Center, received a makeover in March. The renovations project, fueled by an agreement between NIKE and the Department of Athletics, produced a new store layout and increased emphasis on the College and NIKE brands in a variety of apparel and gift items. The bookstore is operated by Barnes & Noble.
