2008 Woodie Awards
River Avenue Entrance Dedicated in Memory of Father Cunningham
Allison O'Connor '10
Issue date: 10/2/08 Section: News
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Beginning at 3:30 p.m., local Providence residents, city officials, relatives of Father Cunningham, faculty, staff, and both current and former students of the PC community joined together in celebration with College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. '80, on the 23rd anniversary of Father Cunningham's inauguration as President of the College. The ceremony lasted about 45 minutes and included a series of speakers in addition to the revelation of a new street sign and a granite memorial plaque at the main entrance, located in the Elmhurst neighborhood. Over the summer months improvements were made to the River Ave. entrance which include newly constructed sidewalks, fresh landscaping, altered traffic patterns, and an expansion of green lawn area.
The City Council of Providence began the initiative to officially dedicate this area as Cunningham Square.
"Father Shanley and the administration were approached with the idea, were in favor of it 100 percent, and moved forward from there," said Mark McGovern '70, director of Central Purchasing & Receiving, Purchasing Department Providence College, as well as personal cousin to Father Cunningham.
Sponsored by Elmhurst representative and council member Patrick Butler, the resolution passed unanimously in City Council on Feb. 21, 2007.
This unanimous agreement demonstrated the significant impact that Father Cunningham had not only at Providence College, but also in the broader Providence community. Father Cunningham grew up in the neighborhood of Elmhurst, was a parishioner at St. Pius Church, and attended St. Pius V School for grammar school and La Salle Academy for high school.
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