Lifelong newspaper man and Warwick Beacon editor (and former publisher) John Howell has always been all about getting the story right.  Well, on Saturday, he was the right story, joining eight other notable Rhode Islanders in being inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.

In the event at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in Cranston, Howell was one of nine prominent Rhode Islanders selected this year to be honored for their contribution to the state, its history and its society.  According to Hall of Fame Board President Lawrence Reid, the organization was formed to honor “any individual who has brought credit to Rhode Island, brought Rhode Island into prominence, and contributed to the history and heritage of the state.”  

This was the 59^th year of welcoming new inductees to the Hall of Fame, which includes historical figures such as Roger Williams and the Chief Sachems of the Narragansett and Wampanoag tribes.  It’s roughly 800 members include people who have made their mark in Rhode Island through a wide variety of careers and causes.

This year’s other inductees are: Maria Gemma Corcelli, executive director of the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Center; Olivia Culpo (McCaffrey), Cranston native, actress and businesswoman and former Miss Rhode Island, Miss USA and Miss Universe; Steven Feinberg, Cranston native, writer, film producer and director who is also executive director of the Rhode Island Film & Television Office; Matthew J. Smith, former Speaker of the House and a historian and professor; Loren M. Spears, executive director of the  Tomaquag Museum and an educator and Native American rights advocate; Dr. Joyce L. Stevos, an educator and social reformer for African and Native communities as well as director of the Heritage Harbor Foundation;  James Vincent, Cranston resident, social activist and former president of both the Urban League of Rhode Island and the Providence branch of the NAACP; and Thomas P. Whitten, long-time executive director of the John Hope Settlement House and author and social activist for the Black community.

Howell, 83, embodies the values of the honorary society and has more than made his mark on the state he has called home for more than 5o years.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut with youthful aspirations of becoming a political operative, Howell is a graduate of American University. He switched to journalism early in his career and worked on newspapers in Connecticut before moving to Rhode Island to become editor of the East Providence Post.  A short time later, in 1969, he and a colleague purchased the Warwick Beacon.

They went on launch papers in other communities, but the Beacon became Howell’s journalistic home, and he served as editor and publisher for decades, sometimes writing almost entire editions himself – and taking the photographs.

In nominating him for the Heritage Hall of Fame, former West Warwick Mayor Michael Levesque called him the “dean of Rhode Island newspaper publishing.”  In addition to the Warwick Beacon, Beacon Media currently includes the Cranston Herald, the Johnston SunRise and The Reminder.

Although Howell sold the papers recently, he remains on board as editor of the Beacon and is still busy covering stories today.  When he stepped to the podium to make his acceptance speech Saturday, Levesque teased that he had never seen Howell without a camera or a notebook in hand.  Howell did not miss a beat and reached into his suit jacket pocket to produce one of his trusty reporter notebooks.

His commitment to local news has been matched only by his commitment to serve the communities he covered. According to his biography for the Hall of Fame ceremony, his accomplishments include co-founding the Rhode Island Academic Decathlon, serving as a driving force for the preservation of Rocky Point, and being a longtime supporter and past chairman of MENTOR Rhode Island, as well as a member of the Warwick Rotary Club for more than 50 years.

He has also served on the Board of Trustees of the Community College of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education.

His wife, Carol B. Howell, has been at his side through it all, and the couple reside in Warwick overlooking his beloved Narragansett Bay.

In inducting Howell into the Hall of Fame, Levesque hailed him as the dean of newspaper publishing in the state, a civic leader and a true “Rhode Island treasure.”