Areas of interest
Photography
I've been doing photography since about 1984. Some of my favorite subjects are architecture, Civil War memorials, historic downtowns, and colleges.
Wiki Loves Monuments
I was delighted to participate in the 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2020 "Wiki Loves Monuments" WikiProjects. I contributed photos both in the New England area where I live, but also in places I traveled to. I am gratified to have been selected as the third place winner in the 2012 Wiki Loves Monuments U.S. contest.
19th-century New England
I've written and contributed to several articles on people and places of 19th Century New England. In particular, I created or fleshed out articles on many of the mayors of Providence (and photographed one).
My Images
By far, the majority of my Wikipedia-based contributions have been donating images to Wikimedia Commons. Of the thousands of photographs I have taken and donated, the vast majority are buildings, statues, colleges, and other locations. I also try to photograph notable people as often as I am able. Other photographic subjects that interest me include flags, sports teams and stadia, liquor bottles ... almost anything that comes to mind.
You can see all my donated Wiki images here.
Here they are in a gallery view.
I've also scanned and contributed many images taken during my college years at Cornell University; most were taken Fall 1987 and Spring 1988. Those have been collected into a category here:
Black and white photographs of Cornell University in the 1980s
Wikipedia articles to which I made significant improvements
People
- Ben Bagdikian; added some details about his time at the Providence Journal. October 2016.
- Robert Livingston Beeckman (1866–1935), Rhode Island governor; added a lot of biographical information
- Malcolm Greene Chace (1875–1955); Was originally a small article about his tennis career; turns out he was one of the major industrialists in Rhode Island and "Father of Hockey in the United States"; August 2015 and October 2019.
- Joseph A. Doorley Jr.; added a lot of history
- William S. Flynn (1885–1966); added details of his governorship in what was a stub; Jan 2016
- Robert Knight (industrialist) added section on library in June 2020
- Herbert W. Ladd (1843–1913), Rhode Island Governor. I became fascinated by the bicycle seat in his official portrait. Why would a governor include his bicycle in his official portrait? I was introduced to a time when streets were first paved ... for bicycles. May-June 2015
- Seth Low (1850–1916); fleshed out details of his terms as Brooklyn mayor; May 2015
- William Henry Miller (architect); I've long been impressed by his works in Ithaca; added works, and images
- Patricia O'Connor (veterinarian) (1914–2003); I took a photo of some Cornell vet school buildings; which led me to notice that no veterinarians were mentioned on the "Cornell Alumni" pages ... this led me to discover this fascinating woman. July 2023
- Robert E. Quinn (1894–1975); added details about his time in the State Senate
- Alfred C. Redfield (1890–1983), oceanographer. I at a picnic lunch in front of the "Redfield Laboratory" in Woods Hole, and I got to wondering about the man on the plaque. August 2023.
- David Wallis Reeves (1838–1900); bandleader and composer, from back when being a bandleader was a big deal; July 2021
- Daniel D. Whitney (1819–1914); apparently my spouse's ancestor worked for him ... this led me to write most of the biography of what was then a very small stub article; May 2015
- David Williston (1868–1964); imagine being a Black american architect at the turn of the 20th Century. And a Cornell architecture alum! December 2020.
Places and things
- 8th Street Fountain; updated history in April 2019
- A. T. Cross Company; some history, and presidential use of Cross pens
- The American Band; added info about leaders Reeves and Bowen R. Church, added historical images
- Brick Store (Bath, New Hampshire); added some history
- Bristol Fourth of July Parade; Added history of controversies with Buddy Cianci and 2016 route change; photos of and info about the 2016, 2017, and 2021 parades
- Central Diner aka Liberty Elm aka Elmwood Diner aka Paula's Kitchen ... several updates over the years, as the diner has changed names and owners
- Columbus Square (Providence) and Statue of Christopher Columbus (Providence, Rhode Island); updates in 2020 with local info and photos, as well as developments as the statue was removed
- Esek Hopkins House updated history to 2021
- Gately Building; updated recent conversion to apartments
- India Point Park; 19th century history as a transportation and shipping center
- Leroy Theatre; fleshed out the history
- List of tallest buildings in Rhode Island; updated almost every image (2019, 2020)
- List of Brown University buildings; added many photos, as well as added more recent buildings in 2019 and 2020
- Mechanical Fabric Company; was a stub about a run-down, abandoned old mill; now it's a thriving scene with apartments, a brewery, and donut factory! (2021)
- Miss Albany Diner updated history through 2021
- Old Overholt rye whiskey; based on a series of articles on this historic brand
- Providence Fire Department; added image of every firehouse
- The Providence Journal; history
- Rhode Island Hospital; photos of various hospital buildings and some historical info (2021)
- Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium; historic updates about turf field; images of Gouse, plaque, scoreboard, panoramas of old and new field (2018, 2021)
- Roger Williams Park; lots of the images, and 2016 renovations
- Salmagundi Club; just one detail, really: women were not admitted until 1973. Odd that such a detail was omitted.
- Shepard Company Building; added history and photos in March 2020
- Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Rochester, New York) added photo, history, details of speech in July 2020 and May 2021
- St. Mary's Church (Newport, Rhode Island); added photo, info about Kennedy wedding and Fung wedding (2021)
- Thomas F. Hoppin House; photo of house, painting of Hoppin, some biographical info about Hoppin (2017, 2020, 2021)
- Timeline of Providence, Rhode Island; added many things
Neighborhoods of Providence
Fleshed out many of the "neighborhoods of Providence" articles with info and images; most of these were very short stubs with no images at all.
- Elmhurst, Providence, Rhode Island
- Elmwood, Providence, Rhode Island
- Lower South Providence, Providence, Rhode Island
- Mount Pleasant, Providence, Rhode Island
- Upper South Providence, Providence, Rhode Island
- Washington Park, Providence, Rhode Island
- Wayland Square
- West End, Providence, Rhode Island
Wikipedia articles that maybe should be created or improved
This is a list of articles that I think should be created. I might make these if I have time, but I'm perfectly happy if someone else wants to take a crack at them:
To be improved
Places and things to be created
- The Independent Man, the famous sculpture atop the Rhode Island State House
- Keating Wheel Company currently redirects to Bob Keating, but maybe it should have its own article? source 1, source 2
- Pen and Brush Club, an art club for women founded in 1894 in NYC as a response to the all-male Salmagundi Club. mentioned here; source; history; sold their historic townhouse in 2012
- Providence City Hospital, opened 1910; in 1931 re-named Charles V. Chapin hospital, fell into decline and purchased by Providence College in 1974 source here's a list[1]
- Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives (currently a redirect); speaker biographies here | another source; could model it after Speaker of the New York State Assembly and Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives; or could follow the structure of List of Speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
- Society of Old Brooklynites, an organization which formed in the 1880's to oppose the merging of Brooklyn and Manhattan. It still exists. Many notable people were members, including Walt Whitman, Seth Low, and Henry Chadwick (writer). | article | another article | Google Books | another
- Sweets Knoll State Park, Massachusetts, created 2010. source. I have two images in Wikimedia Commons.
- Soldiers and Sailors Monument (Providence, Rhode Island) deserves an article
- Unity Church of North Easton, built 1875; noted for its stained glass windows by John La Farge
- Watchemoket Square, a village in East Providence that was prominent in the area in the late 1800s - early 1900s
- Warren County Bikeway, New York
- Whiskey Trust, a national organization of distilleries which tried to control prices. source and source and a thirdsource
People candidates to be created
- Frederick Stone Batcheller (1837-1889) , Providence artist.
- Hugo Breul (1854-1910), Rhode Island artist born in Germany. Buried at Swan Point Cemetery.
- Dorothy R. Crockett or Dorothy Crockett Bartleson, first african-american woman lawyer in Rhode Island. Projo article and RWU Law Magazine article
- George W. Danielson (1829–1884) Providence Journal publisher. source had a stroke, NYTimes Obit Died March 25, 1884
- Ebenezer Knight Dexter (1773–1824) RI businessman and philanthropist. Biography
- Harry Eldredge Goodhue (1873-1918), Boston-based stained glass window artist. Father of Harry Wright Goodhue. biography.
- Homer W. Heaton (1811-1899), Vermont politician and lawyer; founded Heaton Hospital in Montpelier, Vermont
- Frederick Stanhope Peck (1868-1947): Providence Businessman and RI political figure[2]. Mentioned in article about Belton Court.
- William F. Sayles (1824-1894), founder of the Sayles Bleachery, philanthropist, older and arguably more well-known brother of Frederick C. Sayles, donor of Sayles Hall; link1, link2
- Charles A. Schieren, mayor of Brooklyn
- Amasa Sprague, a Cranston (RI) textile factory owner and patriarch of the influential Sprague family of Rhode Island.
- William J. Swinburne (1822-?), Mayor of Newport, Rhode Island 1855-1856, miller, flour manufacturer
- Dr. Amos Throop, (1736–1814) Revolutionary soldier, RI politician, and founder of the Rhode Island Medical Society. About Amos Throop.
- Mayors of Brooklyn resource starting page 380
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