The Very Reverend Dom Hugh Diman, Portsmouth's founding headmaster, was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in Providence on November 15. Dom Hugh was selected along with 11 other prominent Rhode Islanders from the early 20th century whose efforts and contributions, in the opinion of the Hall of Fame Historians' Committee, added significantly to the heritage of the State of Rhode Island.
Dom Hugh's extensive legacy includes the founding of St. George's School in Middletown in 1896 (while he was still an Episcopal priest), the creation in 1912 of what is now known as the Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School (RVTHS) in Fall River, Mass., and the establishment in 1926 of Portsmouth Priory under the direction of the Benedictine Congregation of Fort Augustus, Scotland. Dom Hugh retired from teaching at Portsmouth in 1942 and died on St. Patrick's Day, 1949.
Attending the convocation and induction ceremony on behalf of Portsmouth Abbey was Dom Julian Stead, who received a plaque and diploma. In his acceptance speech, Dom Julian, a 1943 graduate of Portsmouth who knew Dom Hugh, said: "It is fitting that John Hugh Diman's memory be retained as a precious part of our heritage. We, his pupils, could feel that once he had accepted us into his school, he believed in us and would stick by us for the rest of our lives. Dom Hugh's personal optimism and his dedication to youth are part of our Rhode Island Heritage." Representatives from St. George's and Diman RVTHS also attended the induction ceremony.
Other 2009 Hall of Fame inductees included: Bishop William Stang, a prominent clergyman in the Diocese of Providence, founder of St. Josephs' Hospital in Providence, first rector of the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, and a professor and writer on religious and social issues and pastoral theology; John Gorham, businessman and innovator in the field of silverware production who transformed the family business, Gorham Manufacturing Company, into one of the world's largest silver companies; Annie Smith Peck, linguist, author, professor of archeology and Latin at Purdue University and Smith College, and an internationally renowned mountaineer; and Walter Scott, a Providence entrepreneur who sold food from his horse-drawn covered wagon and, in doing so, inspired the birth of the classic American diner.
The Heritage Hall of Fame was founded in 1965 to honor the accomplishments of those individuals who are native-born Rhode Islanders, those whose reputations have been made while residents of the State, and those who have adopted Rhode Island as their permanent home.
