Meet the Pawtucket Hall of Fame 2026 Inductees – Event Info

• John Q. Calista, Jr. (posthumous inductee), Redevelopment Visionary, Public Servant & Civic Leader
• Maria Fatima Barros, Healthcare Pioneer, Nurse & Community Advocate
• Kat Craddock, Award-Winning Culinary Publisher, Editor & Entrepreneur
• Jonathan D. Fain, Industrial Leader, Philanthropist & Civic Steward
• Dave Goucher, National Broadcaster for the NHL
• Duke Robillard, Internationally Acclaimed Guitarist & Cultural Ambassador
• Historical Inductee:  Anna Kent Partridge, community leader and activist

TICKETS!

Maria Fatima Barros

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Healthcare Pioneer, Nurse & Community Advocate

For nearly five decades, Maria Fatima “Fatima” Barros has put nursing, compassion, and a belief in community-based healthcare into practice, improving the lives of older adults, families, and underserved populations in Pawtucket, the Blackstone Valley, and throughout Rhode Island.

Born in Cape Verde, Barros immigrated to the United States at age five and was raised in Rhode Island. She earned an Associate Degree in Nursing from the Community College of Rhode Island and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Rhode Island College. She continued her professional training in hospice, palliative care, and public health.

In 1976, Barros partnered with Marcia Bigney to establish what became Home Health & Hospice Care of Nursing Placement. The organization helped pioneer a community-based approach to healthcare, enabling people to receive skilled nursing, rehabilitation, hospice, and supportive services in their own homes. Over the years, it has served thousands of patients and families while helping older adults and people with chronic illnesses remain as independent as possible.

Barros has also been a strong advocate for culturally responsive healthcare. Her leadership has extended to the Cape Verdean Nursing Association, Cape Verdean Medical Society, and Brown University/Lifespan Cape Verdean HIV/AIDS Project, along with other initiatives serving the Blackstone Valley. She has presented on hospice and palliative care at Brown University and Massachusetts General Hospital and participated in medical missions to Cape Verde.

Mentoring has been another important part of her career. Barros has encouraged aspiring healthcare professionals, particularly women, immigrants, and first-generation college students, to pursue careers in healthcare and service.

The State of Rhode Island, the City of Pawtucket, the Government of Cape Verde, and healthcare and community organizations have recognized her work.

For Barros, nursing has always been more than a profession. It has been a way to help people live with greater dignity, independence and support. Her leadership in home-based healthcare and decades of service to patients and families have earned Maria Fatima Barros a place in the Pawtucket Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

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2026 Posthumous Inductee John Q. Calista, Jr.

Redevelopment Visionary, Public Servant & Civic Leader

Journalist, redevelopment executive, elected official and community volunteer, John Q. Calista, Jr. spent more than six decades serving Pawtucket in one capacity or another, helping guide the city through years of economic and social change.

Born in Central Falls on August 14, 1921, Calista moved to Pawtucket in 1955. His commitment to public service began during World War II, when he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps, served as a certified Air Traffic Controller, and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Following the war, Calista graduated magna cum laude from Providence College and earned a master’s degree in journalism from Boston University. He began his career as a reporter for the Pawtucket Times, covering local government and community affairs.

In 1962, Calista was appointed Pawtucket’s first Executive Director of Redevelopment. Over the next 21 years, he helped guide the city as Pawtucket and other New England mill communities struggled with industrial decline. He secured approximately $40 million in federal redevelopment funding to revitalize neighborhoods, improve public infrastructure, modernize municipal facilities and strengthen downtown.

Retirement from the Pawtucket Redevelopment Agency did not end his public service. Calista went on to serve four terms as a City Councilor-at-Large and became an advocate for older adults on Social Security, Medicare and retirement security.

Calista’s’ civic involvement included the Old Slater Mill Association, the Preservation Society of Pawtucket, the Pawtucket Arts Council, the Pawtucket Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Pawtucket Planning Commission, and youth athletic organizations. He founded the city’s Fourth of July Fireworks Committee and later served on the Pawtucket Hall of Fame Committee. In 1998, the Rhode Island General Assembly honored Calista with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of public service.

Calista did not simply witness Pawtucket’s transformation; he participated in it. Through redevelopment, elected office, and civic involvement, his work left a mark on the city he chose as his home. We proudly welcome John Q. Calista, Jr. into the Pawtucket Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

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Kat Craddock

Award-Winning Culinary Publisher, Editor & Entrepreneur

From Pawtucket to the top ranks of culinary publishing, Kat Craddock has built a national career by combining hands-on experience in professional kitchens with journalism, entrepreneurship, and a willingness to take risks.

The daughter of longtime Pawtucket attorneys George and Margaret-Mary Horvath, Craddock grew up in Pawtucket, graduated from St. Mary Academy – Bay View, and was active at St. Maria Goretti Church. Summers at Slater Park and an internship with the Preservation Society of Pawtucket were part of a childhood firmly rooted in the community.

After graduating from Wellesley College, Craddock pursued professional culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago. She worked as a bread baker, pastry chef, cheesemonger, and recipe developer before moving into writing and editing. Her years working directly with food gave her a perspective on culinary journalism grounded in practical experience.

Craddock joined SAVEUR in 2015 as a part-time recipe tester and steadily advanced through its editorial ranks. When the publication faced an uncertain future in 2023, she partnered with an investor to acquire it and became Editor-in-Chief, Chief Executive Officer, and co-owner.

Less than a year later, she brought SAVEUR back into print for its 30th anniversary, taking on the challenge of rebuilding an independent publication at a time when many traditional magazines were struggling.

Under Craddock’s leadership, SAVEUR continues to tell food stories through the people, places, cultures, and traditions behind it. Her work earned her the International Association of Culinary Professionals Trailblazer Award. She is also the author of Eat Better, Sleep Better, which explores the relationship between nutrition, wellness, and healthy living.

Craddock has maintained her Rhode Island ties, using her work to highlight the state’s culinary traditions, chefs, artisans and businesses. Her career is proof that the road from Pawtucket can lead just about anywhere. Through talent, persistence, and entrepreneurial courage, Craddock has distinguished herself nationally in her chosen field and made her hometown proud. Her accomplishments earn Kat Craddock induction into the Pawtucket Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

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Jonathan D. Fain

Industrial Leader, Philanthropist & Civic Steward

When Jonathan D. Fain joined his family’s Pawtucket company in 1972, Teknor Apex was already nearly half a century old. Over the decades that followed, he helped turn that local manufacturer into a global enterprise while keeping its connection to Pawtucket firmly intact.

Fain represents the third generation of his family to lead Teknor Apex, whose history in the city dates to 1924, when his grandfather, Alfred A. Fain, founded Apex Tire and Rubber. Jonathan built on the work of his grandfather and his father, Norman Fain.

As President and Chief Executive Officer for more than 30 years, Fain oversaw substantial growth. Company revenues increased by more than 650 percent as Teknor Apex expanded throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia and became an internationally recognized leader in advanced polymer technology.

Growth did not mean leaving Pawtucket behind. Under Fain’s leadership, Teknor Apex maintained its longstanding ties to the city while supporting local nonprofit organizations, educational initiatives, and employee volunteer efforts. He also promoted innovation and environmental responsibility, with the company’s Pawtucket facility receiving multiple Vinyl Institute Environmental Excellence Awards.

In 2024, the Pawtucket Foundation presented Teknor Apex with its Heritage Award, recognizing the company’s century-long contribution to the city’s economy and community.

Fain’s civic involvement extends well beyond the company. He has served on the boards of the Rhode Island Foundation, Brown University Health’s Lifespan system, Rhode Island Public Radio, and the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council. Through the Norman and Rosalie Fain Family Foundation, he has supported scholarships, educational opportunities and charitable initiatives benefiting Pawtucket families and community organizations. He continues to serve as Chairman of the Board of Teknor Apex.

Fain’s story is both a Pawtucket story and an international business success story. He helped take a company founded in the city more than a century ago into markets around the world without forgetting where it began. His business leadership, philanthropy, and civic service earn Jonathan D. Fain induction into the Pawtucket Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

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Dave Goucher

National Hockey Broadcaster

Long before Dave Goucher called Stanley Cup championships for National Hockey League audiences, he was a Pawtucket youngster playing hockey at Dennis M. Lynch Arena and announcing street hockey and Wiffle ball games as they unfolded.

Goucher grew up in Pawtucket, attended the city’s public schools, and played for the Pawtucket Youth Hockey Association before becoming a three-year varsity player at Tolman High School. His passion for hockey was matched early on by his fascination with broadcasting.

Realizing his future in hockey might be behind the microphone rather than on the ice, Goucher enrolled at Boston University’s College of Communication. There, he became the play-by-play voice of the nationally ranked Terrier hockey team, calling Beanpot Tournament games, Hockey East competition, and the NCAA Frozen Four. He also gained professional experience through an internship at Providence television station ABC6.

After graduating in 1993, Goucher became the radio voice of the Wheeling Thunderbirds. He returned to Rhode Island in 1995 as radio play-by-play announcer for the Providence Bruins, calling the team’s memorable 1999 Calder Cup championship.

In 2000, Goucher reached the NHL as radio play-by-play voice of the Boston Bruins. For the next 17 seasons, his voice became familiar to hockey fans throughout New England. His declaration, “Get the Duck Boats Ready!” when the Bruins captured the 2011 Stanley Cup became part of Boston sports broadcasting history. He was named Massachusetts Sportscaster of the Year twice.

In 2017, Goucher took on a new challenge, moving from radio to television as play-by-play announcer for the expansion Vegas Golden Knights. He has been with the franchise from its first season through its 2023 Stanley Cup championship. His work has contributed to Emmy Award-winning broadcasts and national Stanley Cup Playoff assignments.

From Lynch Arena and Tolman High School to NHL broadcast booths, Goucher turned a childhood passion into a nationally recognized career. The Pawtucket youngster who once announced neighborhood games eventually reached the biggest stage in his sport, earning Dave Goucher induction into the Pawtucket Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

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Duke Robillard

Internationally Acclaimed Guitarist & Cultural Ambassador

For more than five decades, Duke Robillard has made a living doing what he first loved as a young Rhode Island musician: playing the blues. Along the way, he became one of America’s most respected blues guitarists, performers, and producers and built an international following.

Born in Woonsocket and raised in Rhode Island, Robillard developed a passion for guitar at an early age, drawing inspiration from blues, jazz, swing, and rhythm and blues. Those influences became the foundation of a career that would take him to stages around the world.

In 1967, Robillard co-founded Roomful of Blues, helping create a band that became an important force in jump blues and swing and developed an international following. He later joined The Fabulous Thunderbirds, succeeding Jimmie Vaughan as lead guitarist and further establishing his reputation among the leading guitarists of his generation.

As a bandleader, Robillard has released more than 35 albums and appeared on dozens of additional recordings as a performer, producer and collaborator. His work has earned four Blues Music Awards as Best Blues Guitarist, one of the genre’s highest honors, along with multiple Grammy nominations.

Robillard’s achievements have also been recognized by the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame, which inducted him as a founding member of Roomful of Blues and later for his accomplishments as a solo artist.

Robillard has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and Asia, appearing at major blues and jazz festivals and introducing audiences to blues, swing, and other American roots music traditions.

Since making Pawtucket his home in late 1999, Robillard has continued to record, perform and collaborate with fellow musicians. He has also mentored emerging artists and supported charitable causes through benefit concerts and community events.

Robillard’s induction recognizes a lifetime of achievement in music. From his Rhode Island beginnings to an international career spanning more than half a century, he has remained devoted to his craft and earned the respect of musicians and audiences worldwide. His accomplishments have made Pawtucket proud to call him one of its own and to induct Duke Robillard into the Pawtucket Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

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2026 Posthumous Historical Inductee Anna Kent Partridge 

Every time families gather at Slater Park and climb aboard the historic Looff Carousel, they enjoy part of Anna Kent Partridge’s legacy to Pawtucket.

Partridge, the Pawtucket Hall of Fame’s 2026 Historical Inductee, was a grassroots activist and civic leader known as a “Darlington hero.” She is best remembered for helping save one of the city’s most treasured landmarks when its future was very much in doubt.

Anna’s campaign began in 1969, following years of neglect and deterioration that had led to an uncertain future for the carousel. Plans called for demolishing the carousel’s protective pavilion and selling its hand-carved, wooden figures to private collectors.

Partridge believed the carousel belonged in Pawtucket, where generations of families had enjoyed it. Rather than stand by and watch it disappear, she organized residents, rallied families, and took the preservation fight directly to city officials. Her efforts helped build public support to save the carousel rather than dismantle it.

This grassroots campaign helped halt the plans and contributed to a shift toward restoration. The effort eventually led to an extensive restoration undertaken by the City of Pawtucket Parks Commission. The carousel reopened in 1979, preserving an important example of Charles I.D. Looff’s master craftsmanship and a landmark that remains closely identified with Pawtucket.

Partridge’s community involvement extended beyond the carousel. Through the Pawtucket Junior Woman’s Club, she suported neighborhood welfare and youth programs, including efforts benefiting the St. Leo the Great School Library Fund. She was also active with the Darlington Civic Association, advocating for neighborhood improvements, parks, and recreational opportunities. Her approach to community involvement was simple: when she saw something worth protecting or improving, she got involved and brought others with her.

More than half a century later, the carousel provides a living reminder of what one determined citizen can accomplish. Generations who never knew Anna Kent Partridge continue to benefit from the cause she took up in 1969. For that lasting contribution to Pawtucket, Anna Kent Partridge is honored as the Pawtucket Hall of Fame’s 2026 Historical Inductee.

Editor’s Note:  RINewsToday is the Digital Sponsor for the Pawtucket Hall of Fame